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A 



Pilgrim-Walks in Rome 

A GUIDE TO ITS HOLY PLACES 



BY 



P. J. CHANDLERY, 

of the Society of Jesus. 



"Oh I how beautiful must be the heavenly Jerusalem 
if earthly Rome is so glorious 1 " 

— St. Fulgeniius. (d. 533.) 



" O Rome, exceedingly glorified by the triumphs of 
the Apostles, crowned with the roses of martyrs, all white 
with the lilies of confessors, adorned with the palms of 
virgins, strengthened by the merits of all the Saints. O city 
that enshrinest so many of their holy bodies, all hail to 
thee 1 May thy authority hitherto supported by the dignity 
and wisdom of the holy Fathers never fail, that authority 
whereby the mystic body of Christ, our holy mother the 
Church, flourishes and is sustained " 

— St. Fursey of Ireland, (d. 650.) 



NEW YORK : 

27 AND 29 

West Sixteenth Street 
THE MESSENGER 



roehampton 

Manresa Press 

JOHN GRIFFIN 



1903 

{The Right of Reproductio?t Reserved) 



s^ 



6 



V' 



LIBRARY of COWGRESS 
Two GoDies Received 
MAY 2 1904 
. CoDyrierht tniry 

CLABS C^^ XXc. No. 

U Oi ]^ 1. Z 

COPY B 



Copyright 

THE MESSENGER, NEW YORK 

1903 



PREFACE. 

To the many devout Catholics who every year go from 
England and America to visit the Holy Places in Rome, 
P. J. C. has just rendered a signal service by publishing 
his notes, entitled : PiLGRIM- WALKS IN ROME. 

A few among those who travel to Rome find there com- 
petent friends who know all that is worth seeing and are 
willing to act as guides.. But it is to be feared that many 
lose much of the precious time of their pilgrimage and 
come away without making acquaintance with many of 
the hidden treasures of the Holy City so fit to warm true 
devotion. 

To all such the present volume will prove a most valu- 
able companion. Its author, who has lived many years 
in the Eternal City, and whose writings on the Saints in 
I(ome, the J^ooms of the Saints in R^omey etc., have been 
so widely read and appreciated, has here gathered together 
all the information likely to be interesting and useful to 
a devout pilgrim, and has added greatly to the value of 
his work by including a series of artistic illustrations of 
the Holy Places. 

It is a privilege to be allowed to write a short preface 
for so good a book, and perhaps not very criminal to 
envy a little those who will carry the volume in their 
hands to guide them on their pilgrim walks. 

I am tempted to take a little liberty with Ovid and con- 
clude with a travesty of his lines : Parue, nee invideo, sine 
mey Prodrome, ibis in urbem, Hei mihi, quo domino non licet 
ire tuo : which may be freely, very freely rendered : 

iii 



IV PREFACE. 

" Go, then, my Preface, go speed on thy way to Rome, 
While I, the luckless scribe, must tarry here at home." 
Persons prevented by circumstances from undertaking 
a journey to R,ome, yet desirous to visit its Holy Places 
in spirit, will find in this volume reliable information and 
a pleasing introduction to everything sacred in the Holy 
City. 

P. Gallwey, SJ. 
London, 1903, 



Note. — On Relics and their authenticity, see No. 363. 
On Traditions and Legends, see No. 362. 

As many of the illustrations in this book are from pho- 
tographs taken by Mr. D. Anderson, Rome, the thanks of 
the author are offered him for his kindness in allowing 
their reproduction here. 

Chapter H was printed before the death of Leo XHL 
A brief notice of his successor, Pius X, will be found in 
Appendix H. 

The profits of sale will be applied to the Mission of the 
Upper Zambesi. 



CONTENTS. 

Prei^acej, iii 

Introduction, ix 

CHAPTER I. 
To St. Pe;ter's on the Vatican, .... i 

CHAPTER II. 

The Holy Father— The Vatican Pai^ace— Neigh- 
borhood OF St. Peter's, 31 

CHAPTER III. 

To St. John IvATEran and the Hoi^y Pi^aces on the 

CCELIAN, 53 

CHAPTER IV. 

To St. Mary Major and the Holy Places on the 

EsQuiLiNE, 91 

CHAPTER V. 
To St. Paul's and Tre Fontane 126 

CHAPTER VI. 

To S. Lorenzo Outside the Walls, and to Santa 

Croce in Gerusalemme, 145 

CHAPTER VII. 

To THE Capitol and Forum 171 

CHAPTER VIII. 
To THE Coliseum and Palatine, . . . . 197 

CHAPTER IX. 

To S. SiSTO AND THE CATACOMBS OP ST. CALLIXTUS 

ON THE Appian Way, 222 

V 



VI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 
From the Quirinal to Porta Pia, and S. Agnese 

Outside the Walls, 253 

CHAPTER XI. 

To THE AvENTINE 281 

CHAPTER XH. 
To THE Island in the Tiber and to S. Cecilia in 

Trastevere, 306 

CHAPTER XIII. 
To' Santa Maria in Trastevere and to the Jani- 

culan Hill, 331 

CHAPTER XIV. 

From the GESi:r to S. Agnese in Piazza Navona, . 352 

CHAPTER XV. 
From Piazza Navona to S. Girolamo della Carita 

and S. Maria in Vallicella, .... 378 

CHAPTER XVI. 

From the Forum of Trajan to the Corso and the 

Fincian Hill, 398 

CHAPTER XVII. 

From the Piazza di Spagna to the Porta Salaria 

and the Cemetery of Priscilla, . . .421 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
To THE Rooms and Homes of the Saints, . . 432 

CHAPTER XIX. 

The Lenten Stations — Visit to the^Seven Churcfies 437 

Appendix I, ■ 446 

Appendix II, • 450 

Index 451 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Paragraph Facing 

No. page 

Map of the City of I(oine. 
Pope Pius X. Frontispiece. 

4, 9 Giotto's Navicella 12 ^ 

9 St. Peter's Basilica 13 ^ 

10 Interior of St. Peter's 24 - 

10 Interior of St. Peter's 25 

12 St. Peter's Statue 36 ^ 

13 St. Peter's Confession 37 ' 

16 St. Peter's Chair 48^ 

43 Exterior of St. John Lateran 49 

44 Interior of St. John Lateran 56 

50 The Baptistery of Constantine 57 

51 The Scala Santa 68' 

53 The Lateran Piazza 69 

54 S. Clemente 80 ; 

59 S. Stefano Rotondo 81 

64 SS. John and Paul, Clivus Scauri 88' 

67 S. Gregorio 89' 

71 Statue of St. Gregory the Great 96- 

62, 76 St. Laurence, Almoner of St. Cyriaca 97 

76 Martyrdom of St. Laurence 100 • 

78 S. Pudenziana, " Cradle of the Western Church " . . 101 

83 Exterior of St. Mary Major 112 "^ 

83 Interior of St. Mary Major 113^ 

84 Altar of the Blessed Sacrament, St, Mary Major .... 116- 
89 S. Prassede 117^ 

94 St. Peter's Chains 120 

95 Michael Angelo's Statue of Moses 121 

97 S. Maria degli Angeli 124 

119 Interior of St. Paul's 132 ~ 

120 Altar and Tomb of St. Paul 133^ 

120 Cloisterof St. Paul's 140- 

122 Tre Fontane 141 

96 The Church's Treasures 148 

126 Burial of St. Laurence 148 

130 Interior of S. Lorenzo 149 

131 Tomb of Pius IX 156 

152 The Capitol (II Campidoglio) 157 '' 

154 Interior of Ara Coeli 164 ' 

161 Basilica Julia in the Koman Forum 165 

160 The I^oman Forum 168' 

163 House of the Vestals 169 ' 

173 The Coliseum, seen from the Arch of Constantine . . . 180 " 

174 The Martyrs of the Coliseum 181, 

vii 



Vlll LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Paragraph Facing 

No. page 

178 Arch of Constantine 192 " 

181 The I^uins of Domitian's Palace on the Palatine . . . 193 

190 SS. Nereo ed Achilleo 204 

192 Angels Serve St. Dominic and his Brethren 205 

196 Porta S. Sebastiano 216 ■ 

197 Domine, quo vadis? 217 

199 Crypt Chapel of the Popes— Catacombs of S. Callista . 228 ' 

199 Tomb Chapel of St. Cecilia 229 

199 Tomb of St. Cornelius 240 

203 AppianWay 241 

215 Porta Pia 252- 

205 Piazza del Quirinaie 253 

218 Villa Macao 264 

220 Church of St. Agnes, outside the walls 265 

224 S. Costanza 276 

227 The Nomentan Bridge 277 

231 Interior of S. Georgio in Velabro 288' 

230 S. Georgio in Velabro 289 ' 

235 Santa Sabina 300- 

236 Our Lady of the I^osary, by Sassoferrato, at S. Sabina . 301 ^ 
251 Torre del Melangolo, near which SS. Ignatius and 

Francis Xavier lived 312 

257 Island in the Tiber 313 ■ 

259 St. Frances of I<ome and the Angel 324 • 

26i S. Cecilia, Interior of Church 325 -' 

260 Martyrdom of St. Cecilia 336 • 

260 St. Cecilia and St. Valerian 337 - 

260 Crypt of St. Cecilia 348 

260 Maderna's Statue of St. Cecilia 349 

268 Exterior of S. Maria in Trastevere 360 ""^ 

268 Interior of S. Maria in Trastevere 361 ' 

272 Mosaic of the Apse of S. Maria in Trastevere 372 ' 

273 Tempietto of Bramante at S. Pietro in Montorio . . . 373 . 
281 Interior of the Gesu 384 • 

283 Madonna della Strada 385 

281 The Altar Shrine of St. Ignatius at the Gesu 396 > 

284 The I<oman College 397 

285 The Ceiling of S. Ignazio 404 * 

330 Piazza del Popolo 405 

334 View from the Pincio .... 420 • 

338 Trinita dei Monti, from Piazza di Spagna 421 

343 Collegio Germanico 432 

3^3 ^oom where St. Ignatius died 433 - 

3S3 Anticamera of the I<oom of St. Ignatius ..... 444 

353 Second ^oom of St. Ignatius, with balcony 445 



INTRODUCTION. 

Petrarch speaks, in one of his letters, of the fervor 
with which he visited Rome during the Jubilee of 1350, of 
the deep religious impression produced upon him by its 
sanctuaries ; an impression which did not stop short at 
barren emotion, but bore fruit in the amendment of his 
life\ He speaks also of the necessity of visiting these 
sanctuaries devotione Catholica, in a Catholic spirit of devo- 
tion, and not curio sitate poetica, with the curiosity of poets 
or artists, and adds : '' Hov/ever delightful intellectual 
pursuits may be, they are as nothing unless they tend to 
the one great end^" 

In another beautiful passage, he says : '' How well it is 
for the Christian soul to behold the city which is like a 
heaven on earth, full of the sacred bones and relics of the 
martyrs, and bedewed with the precious blood of those 
witnesses for truth ; to look upon the image of our Saviour, 
venerable to all the world^ ; to mark the footprints in 
the solid stone, forever worthy of the worship of the na- 
tions* ; to roam at will from tomb to tomb rich with the 
memories of the Saints ; to wander at random through the 
basilicas of the Apostles, with no other company than 
good thoughts^" 

Blessed Peter Canisius, S.J., writing in 1575, on the spir- 
itual excellence of K.ome, says : ** There is the multitude 



(1) Thurston, SJ. Holy Year of Jubilee, p. 139. 

(2) Epist. de I^ebus Famil., XII, 7. 

(3) The Volto Santo, or Veil of Veronica, preserved at St. Peter's. 

(4) He probably refers to the impression of our Lord's feet left in 
the stone, when he appeared to St. Peter near the little oratory 
known as Domine quo vadis. (Thurston, Ibid.) 

(5) Epist. Famil., II, 9. 

ix 



X INTRODUCTION. 

of relics of martyrs of every condition, who have sancti- 
fied Rome with their blood. There is the Apostolic Seat, 
which Christ exalted above the chair of Moses, and to 
which he subjected all Christian kings and princes. Rome 
is the head of the world, the queen of the nations, the 
place chosen by God above every place for the supreme 
rule, first in the secular, now in the spiritual dominion." 
. . . *' There, at Rome, the pilgrim can strengthen his 
faith and excite his devotion more than elsewhere. He 
sees there before his eyes the city in which the first and 
principal Apostles preached with their lips the Gospel of 
Christ. He sees the city, the streets of which all the holy 
martyrs trod and consecrated with their blood, and adorn 
and protect with their relics. Who would not be moved 
at seeing the place where Peter was fastened to the cross, 
Paul beheaded with the sword, John cast into a vessel of 
boiling oil ; where Peter said to Christ, ' Lord, whither 
goest Thou ? ' — the place where Laurence was roasted on 
the gridiron, Sebastian was shot with arrows ; the house 
of St. Agnes, of St. Cecilia, the staircase of St. Alexis ? 
Yes, the holy steps which were in Pilate's house, up which 
staircase Christ went at the time of his bitter Passion, and 
v/hich He sprinkled with His blood ; the title of the Cross ; 
the column to which He was bound ? I pass over the 
seven principal churches known to all the world and en- 
riched by many privileges and precious relics of the 
Saints\" 

Pilgrims who visit the Eternal City in this Catholic 
spirit of devotion y who wish to see it as Blessed Peter Can- 
isius and Petrarch saw it, will take but a secondary inter- 
est in the monuments of antiquity, the colossal works of 
architecture, the records of imperial greatness, the treas- 
ures of art, literature, archaeology, stored in its galleries, 



(1) Blessed P. Canisius. Tractate on the Jubilee, 1575. (Thurs- 
ton, Ibid,, pp. 400, 401.) 



INTRODUCTION. XI 

libraries and museums ; they know that K^ome has some- 
thing far grander to show than these evidences of material 
prosperity and intellectual power ; and they will long 
rather Vv^ith St. Francis Borgia and St. Francis de Sales, 
to visit the venerable churches of the city, to kneel at the 
altars where the Saints have prayed, to press their lips to 
the shrines of the martyrs, to see the places associated 
with the memories of God's holy ones, to visit their 
homes, their tombs, the scenes of their labors and con- 
flicts, the spots hallowed by their virtues or bedewed with 
their blood. 

For such pilgrims the following notes have been gath- 
ered, in the hope that they may derive from them some 
additional religious consolation during their visit to the 
Eternal City. 

Not being intended for scholars or students of sacred 
archaeology, who can consult the recent works of Father 
Grisar, S.J., and Professor Marucchi, the notes are very 
condensed and lay no claim to learned research ; they 
refer but briefly to monuments or objects of purely secu- 
lar interest, and deal almost entirely with the religious 
treasures and traditions of Rome. Where the authenticity 
of some of these religious treasures has been questioned 
by recent writers, the fact is noted. 

A few legendary stories, sanctioned by the tradition of 
ages, like that of the apparition of the angel on Hadrian's 
mole (Castel S. Angelo), have been introduced, but in 
each case the reader is made aware that the story rests 
only on popular tradition. 

References are given throughout the works where fuller 
information may be sought on points of interest. 

In such an array of facts, names and dates, some errors 
will have escaped the writer, but pains will be taken to 
eliminate these in a subsequent edition, if a second edi- 
tion is called for. 

The work of compilation has not been slight, but it will 



Xll INTRODUCTION. 

be well repaid if even one pilgrim feels that the book has 
added something to the joy and consolation of his visit to 
the city of the Saints. 

Others, who have no opportunity of visiting Rome, 
may also wish to read about its holy places, and to visit, 
at least in spirit, the spots consecrated by the faith, the 
piety, the heroic endurance of the Saints. 

It should be added that all the profits of the sale of this 
edition will be applied to the Zambesi Mission. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME, 



CHAPTER I. 
To St. Peter's on the Vatican. 

1.— ST. peter in ROME. 

St. Leo the Great, preaching at St. Peter's tomb 
on the Saint's feast about A. D. 440, speaks as follows : 

** The spot which has been glorified by the death of 
the chiefs of the Apostles, should have the chief place of 
joy on the (anniversary) day of their martyrdom. For 
these, O Rome, are the men through whom the light of 
Christ's gospel shone upon thee, when she, who was the 
mistress of error, became the disciple of truth. They are 
thy holy Fathers and true Pastors, having with better and 
happier omens founded thee for a place in the heavenly 
kingdom, than those who laid the first stones of thy 
walls, of whom the one, who gave thee thy name, stained 
thee with his brother's blood. They it is who have 
raised thee to this height of glory, that being made by 
the sacred See of Peter, the head of the world, as a 
holy people, a chosen nation, a priestly and royal city, 
thy rule might be wider through a divine religion than an 
earthly domination. For far as, crowned with many 
victories, thou hast stretched thy empire by land and sea, 
the strife of war has wrought thee a smaller realm than 
the peace of Christ." (1) 

That St. Peter came to I^ome and there established his 
Apostolic See, seaHng his faith with the shedding of his 
blood, is an historical fact handed down in the tradition (2) 



(1) Serm. 1 de SS. A post. Petro et Paulo. 

(2) Tradition that is in its wider sense, not the Sacred Tradition 
which is part of the Deposit of Faith. 

I 



L PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

of the Church, and fully treated under the question of his 
primacy in works on dogmatic theology. The Vatican 
Council, A. D. 1870, declares that the Roman See was 
founded by St. Peter and consecrated with his blood. 
(Constit. 2 Cap 2.) No Catholic is free to question this 
truth. 

It will be sufficient here to refer briefly to the chief 
authorities quoted by theologians in support of this 
tradition. 

1. The Councils oi Aries (314), First of Nice (325), of 
Ephesus (431), of Chalcedon (451), of the Vatican (1870). 

2. The Fathers of the Churchy v. g., St. Clement (96), 
St. Ignatius of Antioch (107), Papias (120), Clement of 
Alexandria (217), St. Irenaeus (202), TertulHan (245), Ori- 
gen (254), Firmilian (256), Eusebius (315), St. Optatus 
(?>7S), St. Jerome (390), St. Augustine (429). (1) 

Even Protestant writers of note admit the fact as incon- 
testable, V. g. Dr. Cave, Dr. Nathaniel Lardner, Dr. 
Pearson, Whiston, Dean Milman and Archbishop Bram- 
hall. (2) 

To these may be added the testirriony of Lanciani, the 
eminent archaeologist, who writes as follows : " For the 
archaeologist, the presence and execution of SS. Peter and 
Paul in I^ome are facts established beyond a shadow of 
doubt by purely monumental evidence." (3) He adds that 
those who have followed the progress of recent discov- 
eries can no longer question the fact. 

Who have denied that St. Peter was Bishop of I(ome ? 

1. No single writer, pagan or Christian, heretic or Cath- 
olic, can be quoted as denying it until the thirteenth cen- 
tury. It was a fact accepted as unimpeachable by the 
whole world, by friend and foe, without the slightest 
doubt, as far as we know, for twelve hundred years. 

2. It was denied for the first time in history by the 



(1) Tepe, S. J. Instit. Theol., vol. I de Eccl. n. 366 seg,, p. 294 
seq. 

(2) I^t. I^ev. I. Bilsborrow. Four Lectures on the Primacy, etc., 
pp. 24, 25. 

(3) '' Pagan and Christian I^ome." 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. O 

Waldenses, and after them by Wickliff and Marsilius of 
Padua, on the frivilous and insufficient ground that the 
fact was not mentioned in the New Testament. 

3. Since Luther's days it has been denied by the Ger- 
man rationalists, v. g., Bauer, Wiener and others, men 
who have dissolved St. Peter himself and all the facts of 
the Gospel and of early Christianity into fables and myths. 

2.— THE VATICAN HILL. 

The considerable stretch of country that lies between 
the Janiculum and the Milvian bridge {Ponte Molle) was 
known to the ancients as Colles and Campi Vaticani. The 
district was crossed by the important roads Via Cornelia, 
Via Vaticana, Via Aurelia, and was a sort of pleasure 
ground of the Romans, covered with gardens and having 
many noble monuments that towered above the surround- 
ing trees. Here was the little farm of Quintus Cincin- 
natus, who was summoned from the plough to assume 
the office of Dictator at a crisis of the affairs of the repub- 
lic. The place had its temples, too, of Apollo, Mars, 
Cybele, and it was in this temple of Apollo that the pagan 
priests deluded the people by lying oracles known as 
vaticiniay whence the name Vatican is thought to be de- 
rived. The locality, however, was considered unhealthy, 
especially at night time, because of the malaria, and few, 
except persons of the poorer class, lived in the houses 
scattered along the roads and lanes. 

On the slopes of the Vatican hill, as it rises gently from 
the river (near the spot where St. Peter's now stands) 
were the famous gardens of Agrippina, mother of Cali- 
gula, which in course of time became crown property, and 
were a favorite resort of the profligate young Emperors 
Caligula, Nero, Heliogabalus. The gardens enclosed a 
portico on the riverside and a circus, begun by Caligula 
and finished by Nero. In the centre of the spina, or 
middle line of the circus, between the two metce (goals), 
stood the famous obelisk brought from Egypt by Caligula, 
which now stands in front of St. Peter's. Outside the 
sacristy of the basilica a stone with an inscription let into 



4 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

the pavement marks the original site of the obelisk, 
whence it was removed by Sixtus V. 

These gardens were the scene of the fearful agony and 
death of a great multitude (1) of Christians in the First 
great Persecution of the Church. 

In the year 64, Nero, having set fire to Rome, partly out 
of a spirit of mere deviltry, partly from a wish to rebuild 
it on a scale of greater magnificence, alarmed at the storm 
of popular excitement, and wishing to screen himself 
from suspicion, charged the Christians (2) with the crime. 
Such was the origin of the persecution. The poor Chris- 
tians were arrested in great numbers and sufifered by ter- 
rible and hitherto unheard of forms of death. They were 
sev/n up in the skins of beasts and exposed to wild dogs 
to be torn to pieces ; they were wrapped in garments sat- 
urated with pitch, and then hung up on lofty gallows and 
set fire to in the dusk of the evening. (Tacitus AnnaL, 
XV, 44). Their remains, buried in the grottos of the Vat- 
ican hill, lie somewhere near St. Peter's tomb, and their 
triumph is commemorated in the K^oman martyrology on 
June 24th. 

SS. Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in this same 
persecution on the same day, June 29th, and in the same 
year, either A. D. 66 or 67. There is some controversy 
as to the precise year, but the latter seems to be the one 
generally accepted. 

Baronius, Panciroli and others held that St. Peter was 
martyred on the Janiculum, where the church of St. Pietro 
in Montorio now stands. Anastasius Bibliothecarius, 
Mallius, Comestor, Bosio, Arringhi and most modern 
v/riters say, that he was put to death in Nero's circus on 
the Vatican, and this is the opinion now generally 
accepted. The reasons urged in favor of the Vatican as 
the site of martyrdom are : 



(1) Tacitus, AnnaL lib. XV, n. 44. 

(2) As the purity of their lives was a censure on the corruption of 
the age, and their total separation from pagan festivities an occa- 
sion of hatred and contempt, Nero thought them fit subjects for 
public vengeance. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 5 

(1) The tradition on which Baronius, etc., rely goes 
back no further than the eleventh century, whereas the 
tradition in favor of Nero's circus on the Vatican can be 
traced to ih.Q fourth century. (1) 

(2) A writer of the fourth century says the Apostle was 
crucified ^'juxta palatium Neronianum — juxta obeiiscum 
Neronis." But there was no such obelisk on the 
Janiculum. 

(3) A very early tradition says that he was martyred 
'* inter duas metas," ''between the two goals" (of the 
circus). In the middle ages the two metcB were supposed 
to refer to two pyramidal monuments, known as the tombs 
of Romulus and R.emus, situated the one at the Ostian 
gate (Porta di S. Paolo) which still exists, viz.^ the tomb 
of C. Cestius ; the other near Sa. Maria Traspontina, 
which was destroyed by Alexander VI. S. Pietro in Mon- 
torio being in the line between these two land-marks is 
supposed to be referred to as inter dims metas ; but this is 
a very forced interpretation, and would have been a most 
vague topographical indication. 



The Apostle, at his own request, was crucified with his 
head downwards, for he accounted himself unworthy of 
dying in the same manner as his Divine Master. This 
fact is mentioned by St. Jerome, St. Ambrose, St. Augus- 
tine and Prudentius. (2) 

His body taken down from the cross was secured by the 
Christians (3) who wrapped it in linen bands with spices, 
and laid it in a private tomb (belonging to some Christian, 
^'dansune propriete chetienne," says Marucchi, ^^.y^//- 
gues, etc. p. 112), on the Via Cornelia, close to the circus 
where he suffered. The tomb remains in the original 
spot. The temporary removal of the body for a short 



(1) Marucchi. Basiliques de I(ome^ p. 462. Grisar, S.J. / Papi 
del medio Evo, vol. L pp. 367, 368, 408. 

(2) Alban Butler. Lives of the Saints. June 29th. 

(^3) The law allowed in certain cases the bodies of those put to 
death to be given to their friends for burial. AUard. Histoire dse 
Persecutions, vol. I. p. 315. 



b PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

period to the cemetery on the Appia Via, will be referred 
to later when we visit S. Sebastiano. 

The Greek Menology says that two holy women, SS. 
Basilissa and Anastasia, secured the bodies of the two 
Apostles and gave them honorable interment, for which 
act of piety they themselves afterwards suffered martyr- 
dom. (1) Their remains are in the church of S. Maria 
della Pace. 

3. — THE MEMORIA OR ORATORY OVER ST. PETER' S TOMB 
ERECTED BY POPE ST. ANACLETUS. 

St. Anacletus, who had been ordained by St. Peter, 
and who succeeded him in the Papal See, construxit memo- 
riam, i.e.y built a memorial chamber or oratory over the 
Apostle's tomb, which remained undisturbed till Constan- 
tine replaced it by a rich, vaulted chamber (Confession of 
St. Peter), when he erected his splendid basilica. Allard 
(Histoire des PersScutions, vol. I. p. 315), shows that such 
a memoria or sepulchral chamber would have been re- 
spected by the pagans, and would not be likely to be dis- 
turbed at any time during the first and second centuries. 

In the beginning of the third century, the Emperor 
Heliogabalus enlarged the circus of Nero, and for this 
purpose destroyed many of the tombs along the Via Cor- 
nelia, but, by a special interposition of Divine Providence, 
as TertuUian observes, the Memoria or tomb-oratory of 
St. Peter was left undisturbed. That simple oratory was, 
to the early Christians, the most sacred spot in K,ome and 
even in the world, outside Palestine. Thither they came 
in the dark days of persecution to ask St. Peter's help 
while preparing for the conflict, or to pray for those who 
were actually bleeding in the arena. It was known from 
the earliest times as the Confessio Beati Petri, and was 
regarded as the very heart of the Church. 

For two centuries the successors of St. Peter were 
buried near his tomb, except St. Clement, who was 



(1) Tillemont. Histoire Ecclesiastique, vol. I. art. 36. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 7 

martyred in Chersonesus. The catacomb of St. Callixtus 
began to be the place of Papal sepulture in the third cen- 
tury. 

4.— THE BASILICA OF CONSTANTINE. — ''OLD ST. 
PETER'S." 

It is stated in the Liber Pontificalis, written by Anasta- 
sius Bibliothecarius in the eighth century, that the Em- 
peror Constantine, after his miraculous conversion, caused 
the body of St. Peter to be exhumed and enshrined in a 
case of Cyprian brass. (1) Over this he placed a large 
cross of gold, weighing one hundred and fifty pounds, and 
bearing the inscription: * ' Constantinus Aug. et Helena 
aug. hanc domum regalem [auro decorant quam] (2) simili 
fulgore coruscans aula circumdat." The body was then 
restored to its original tomb, over which he erected an 
altar and a vaulted chamber (in place of St. Anacletus' 
memoria) rich with marbles and gleaming with gold. This 
chamber was and still is right under the high-altar of St. 
Peter's basilica, and on the Apostle's tomb still lies the 
cross of gold, as will be shown later. 

In front of the tomb the Emperor placed four immense 
candelabras of brass, each weighing three hundred pounds, 
with silver lamps, where lights were kept constantly burn- 
ing; and right over the tomb he hung a golden lamp 
weighing thirty-five pounds. (3) The altar over the tomb 
he covered with plates of gold and silver studded with, 
jewels. (4) 

The temple of Apollo mentioned above was destroyed,' 
and the Emperor began the erection of his great Basilica 
in the year 323, laboring at the work with his own hands, 
himself carrying away twelve basket-loads of earth in 
honor of the twelve Apostles. (5) It measured 395 feet in 

(1) Anast. Biblioth. S. Silvester, n. 38. 

(2) The words in brackets are not found in Anastasius. They were 
supplied by De Rossi. Inscript. Christ, t. IL, p. la, p. 200. 

(3) Grisar, S.J. /. Papi, etc., vol. I, p. 402. 

(4) Anastas. Biblioth. S. Silvester, n. 38. 

(5) Breviar. Rom. Nov. 18. Mirabilia R^omce (XII cent.) 



8 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

length by 212 in width, and was in the form of a cross. 
" Ninety -two marble columns separated the nave from the 
aisles and supported an open roof, the trusses of which 
were of the King-post pattern and bore the name of Con- 
stantine." Lanciani. (1) The horizontal beams, lowered 
by Carlo Maderna in 1606, measured 11 feet long and 
three feet thick. 

A short description of '^ Old St. Peter's'' is here in- 
serted. 

In front of the basilica was a wide Atrium, or open 
court (212 feet by 235 feet), surrounded by porticos, a 
flight of thirty-five steps leading up to it from the piazza. 
Pious pilgrims used to ascend these steps on their knees, 
and it is said that Charlemagne thus ascended them when 
he paid his first visit to Rome in 774. (2) The atrium, 
also called paradisus, was ornamented with plants and 
flowers, and had in its midst a beautiful fountain, placed 
there by Pope St. Damasus. 

Giotto's splendid mosaic of St. Peter's bark riding se- 
curely over the troubled waves of this world adorned the 
front of the edifice, but of this noble work only a frag- 
ment remains preserved in the present portico. 

The basili-ca had five naves, entered by five large doors. 
The first door, counting from left to right, was the Porta 
Judicii, through which funerals entered or passed out. 
The second was the Porta R^avenniana, or Ravenna en- 
trance, for the inhabitants of Trastevere, known as 
** Ravennati " in the middle ages. The centre door was 
the Porta Argenteay opened only on grand occasions. It 
derived its name from the silver plates or ornaments affixed 
to it by Honorius I (626-656). The Liber Pontificalis 
informs us that 975 pounds of silver were used in the work. 
It fell a prey to the Saracens in 845, after which bronze 
plates were substituted. On its right was the Porta 
P^omana, reserved for women, and next it the Porta Gui- 
donea for pilgrims, which opened into the oratory of John 



(1) '' Christian and Pagan I^ome," p. 138. 

(2) Thurston, S.J. Holy Year of Jubilee, p. 147. 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 9 

VII, where was kept the reUc of the Volto Santo. The 
name Guidonea refers to the Guidones or guides stationed 
within the door, who accompanied the pilgrims. (1) 

The triumphal arch between the central nave and the 
transept glistened with golden mosaics, representing the 
Emperor being presented by St. Peter to our Saviour, to 
whom he was offering a model of the Basilica. (2) Ttiis 
mosaic with the dedicatory inscription was unfortunately 
destroyed in 1525. 

The floor of the nave was on a level with the present 
crypt, and two flights of seven porphyry steps, one on 
each side of the confession, led up to the presbyterium or 
sanctuary, a wide apse with a throne at its extremity, and 
seats for the clergy on either hand. The remains of these 
steps may be seen in the two by which we ascend to the 
present apse or tribuna. 

A painting of the interior of '' Old St. Peter's," by N. 
Poussin, will be found in the left aisle of 5. Martino ai 
monti. Though only half the size of the present basilica, 
the edifice covered a greater space than any mediaeval 
cathedral, except those of Milan and Seville. 

A long list of costly presents made by Constantine to 
the basilica is given by Anastasius Bibliothecarius, (3) 
and the immense yearly revenues he assigned to it and 
the other basilicas he built in Rome {^iz.^ those of St. Paul, 
the Lateran, St. Laurence, St. Agnes, SS. Peter and 
MarcelHnus) will be found in De Bussierre and Alban 
Butler. (4) 

The Basilica was solemnly consecrated by Pope St. 
Sylvester in presence of the Emperor and Court on No- 
vember 18th, 324. 

The Baptistery of St. Damasus was at the end of the right 
transept, the font being surrounded by columns, probably 

(1) Lanciani. Christian and Pagan I^ome, p. 137. Thurston, S. J. 
Holy Year of Jubilee, p. 151. 

(2) Lanciani. Ibid. p. 139. 

(3) Anast. XXXIV. 5". Silvester, n. 38. 

(4) " Les sept Basiliques de I<ome." Vol. I, chap. 2, page 226 seq, 
*' Lives of the Saints." Nov. 18. 



10 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

like the Lateran baptistery, which is still preserved. As 
the streams from the Vatican hill filtered through the 
foundations into the tombs, St. Damasus drained the hill- 
side and used the water to supply the baptismal font, 
according to an inscription composed by him and still pre- 
served in the Lateran museum. (1) In this baptistery was 
the famous Chair of St. Peter ; and Ennodius of Pavia, 
who lived at the end of the fifth century, speaking of the 
newly-baptized, who went from the font to be confirmed, 
says the bishop was seated in the sella gestatoria apostolicce 
confessionis. (2) 

At first there were few altars, as at St. Paul's at the 
present day, but in course of time the naves were filled 
with altars ; Lanciani says there were sixty-eight. 

5. — THE DESTRUCTION OF OLD ST. PETER'S. 

Lanciani says the destruction of Old St. Peter's is 
"one of the saddest events in the history of the ruin of 
K.ome," (3), yet it was considered a necessity, for in Nich- 
olas V's time (1447-1455), the structure was found to be 
in a damaged state, and the roof was threatening. He 
conceived the idea of entirely rebuilding it, but did little 
or nothing because of the enormous sums required. Pope 
Benedict XII (1334-1342), had spent 80,000 gold florins 
{i. e., some £480,000 of our money) in repairing the roof; 
but a century later it was found to be again unsafe, thous- 
ands of rats having made holes in the beams, (4) and the 
southern wall was leaning three feet seven inches side- 
ways, so that the pilgrims, who came to the jubilee of 
1450, were naturally alarmed. 

The work of destruction and of reconstruction, planned 
by Nicholas V, was only undertaken in earnest half a cen- 
tury later by JuHus XL In February, 1506, (5) the oper- 

(1) Marucchi. Basiliques de I^ome, p. 118. 

(2) Thurston. Ibid, p. 155. 

(3) *' Christian and Pagan Rome," p. 143. 

(4) Ibid. 

(5) In the same year the foundation stone of New St. Peter's was 
laid by Julius II, in presence of thirty-five Cardinals, under the 
present large pier of St. Veronica. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 11 

ations commenced. A partition wall was built across the 
basilica and the eastern portion first destroyed. (1) It 
took nearly a century to rebuild this eastern section from 
the partition wall to the apse. " The demolition of the 
eastern section began on February 21, 1506, and ninety 
years later, the partition wall was taken down, and the 
new temple was seen in all its glory." (Lanciani.) 

It is a matter of the deepest regret that the work of 
demolition was carried out by Bramante hurriedly, with 
wanton destruction of the mosaics of Constantine, of 
countless monuments and of priceless treasures of art. 

The modern basilica, with all its splendor, can never 
adequately supply the place which the original sanctuary 
held in Catholic hearts, for it had been the central point 
of the Church's history for nearly twelve hundred years, 
and was a connecting link with the Church of the Cata- 
combs. 

It was intended, at first, to save the splendid atrium or 
quadrangular portico in front of the basilica, and Michael 
Angelo's plan would have secured its preservation ; but, 
unfortunately, Paul V decided, in 1605, to prolong the nave 
and so that all that remained of the older edifice was 
sacrificed. 

6. — THE BUILDING OF NEV^ ST. PETER'S. 

As stated in a note above, the foundation stone of the 
new basilica was laid by Julius II in presence of thirty- 
five Cardinals, on April 18, 1506. The designs suppHed 
by Bramante, presented the form of a Greek cross. Only 
the four great piers and their arches were completed in 
Julius and Bramante's time. Leo X, in 1514, intrusted the 
work to Raphael, who altered the design to that of a 
Latin cross. Raphael died in 1520, and Baldassare 
Peruzzi, who succeeded him as architect, reverted to 
Bramante's plan of a Greek cross. Only the tribune was 
completed by him. Sangallo and Giulio Romano took 
up the work, but it made little progress. Paul III, in 

The eastern portion included the transepts and apse. 



(1) 



12 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

1546, sent lor Michael Angela, then in his seventy-second 
year, and he adopted Bramante's plan, enlarging the 
tribima and transepts, and beginning the dome from de- 
signs of his own. He died in 1564, and the present dome, 
completed in 1590 under Sixtus V, is Michael Angelo's 
great work, with modifications by Giacomo della Porta. 

In 1606, Paul V, with Carlo Maderna as architect, re- 
turned to the plan of a Latin cross, prolonged the nave 
and destroyed for the purpose the glorious atrium of Old 
St. Peter's. The present fagade, completed in 1614, is 
poor in design and unworthy of the great temple. 

Urban VIII solemnly consecrated the basilica on 
November 18, 1626. The total cost of building is said to 
have been 47 million scudi, i.e., nearly ;6'10,000,000. The 
new sacristies, erected by Pius VI, cost 900,000 scudi, i.e., 
about £"180,000. 

7. — THE APPROACH TO ST. PETER' S. 

In ancient times a pillared portico or covered colonnade 
led from Ponte S. Angelo to Old St. Peter's, where ven- 
ders of Rosaries and other religious objects sold their 
wares. 

The present approach to the great temple, after emerg- 
ing from the narrow Borgo nuovo, is through an immense 
piazza, flanked by two semi-circular colonnades, that 
** run curving out like giant arms, always open to receive 
the nations that go up there to worship." (Marion Craw- 
ford.) In the piazza it is said that an army of 200,000 
men could be drawn up in rank and file, horse and foot 
and guns. 

" The piazza, with Bernini's colonnades, and the 
gradual slope upwards to the mighty temple, gave me al- 
ways a sense of having entered some millennial view of 
Jerusalem, where all things small and shabby were un- 
known." (George ElHot.) 

The Colonnades, built by Bernini for Alexander VII, 
(1657-1667) form a striking approach to the great basiUca. 
Each colonnade has a width of 61 feet, a height 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 13 

of 64 feet, and forms an impressive avenue of 142 
gigantic columns. On the entablature are 182 statues of 
saints, each eleven feet in height. Along these colon- 
nades, decorated with festoons and flowers, and across the 
sunlit piazza, to the clanging of bells, the booming of 
cannon, the chanting of hymns and the waving of censers 
moved amid a shower of flowers, the gorgeous procession 
of the Blessed Sacrament, every Corpus Christi in the 
happy days when Rome was still free, i.e.^ before 1870.(1) 

The great obelisk in the centre of the piazza, is the one 
referred to above as formerly standing in the centre of the 
spina or middle line of Nero's circus, close to the spot 
w^here St. Peter is said to have been martyred. It is one 
of the most remarkable monuments of antiquity in Rome, 
and one of the most venerable, because of the crowds of 
martyrs who suffered near it in the persecution of Nero. 
Sixtus V removed it from the sacristy-side of St. Peter's 
to its present position in 1586, and in the bronze cross on 
its summit he enclosed a relic of the true cross. Its re- 
moval was quite a daring feat of engineering skill, the 
weight being 332 tons. The height of the obelisk and 
base is 132 feet, that of the shaft 83 feet. 

The two noble Fountains in the piazza, which Cardinal 
Wiseman describes as ''sending up massive jets like 
blocks of crystal into the hot sunshine, and receiving back 
a broken spray, on which sits an unbroken iris," (2) 
stand like symbols of the inexhaustible streams of sacra- 
mental grace ever flowing in the Church of God. 

Thackeray in his ** Newcomes " observes : '* You ad- 
vance towards the basilica through — oh, such a noble 
court 1 with fountains flashing up to meet the sunbeams ; 
and right and left of you two sweeping half-crescents of 
great columns." 

The ground we tread on is sacred because of the Mar- 
tyrs who suffered here under Nero. Pope St. Pius V, 



(1) For CaTdinal Wiseman's description of the Corpus Christi pro- 
cession at St. Peter's, see his life by W. Ward, p. 40. 

(2) " The Last Four Popes." 



14 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

while crossing this piazza with the Polish ambassador, 
suddenly stooped down and gathered a handful of dust, 
saying : " Take this (as a rehc), for it has been reddened 
with the blood of Martyrs." 

Marion Crawford, in his ''Ave Roma Immortalis " 
(p. 300), writes: "The foundations of Christendom's 
Cathedral are laid in earth wet with the blood of many 
thousand Martyrs . During 250 years every Bishop of I(ome 
died a Martyr, to thenumberof thirty consecutive Popes. 
It is really and truly holy ground, and it is meet that the air 
once rent by the death-cries of Christ's innocent folk 
should be enclosed in the world's most sacred place, and 
be ever musical with holy song and sweet incense." 

8.— THE EXTERIOR OF ST. PETER'S.— THE BENEDIC- 
TIO URBI ET OREL 

A broad flight of steps leads up to the Portico or Vesti- 
bule. In the Ages of Faith pilgrims would have ascended 
them on their knees ; such is not the custom now, but a 
feeling of intense reverence steals over one when we re- 
flect how many Saints have ascended these very steps. 

The facade, built for Paul V by Carlo Maderna in 1614, 
is disappointing in design but impressive because of its 
vastness and solidity, fitting emblem of the Church built 
on the Rock of Peter, against which the gates of hell shall 
never prevail. 

Over the middle entrance is the Balcony, whence the 
Pope gave his solemn Benediction to the people every 
Easter Sunday and every St. Peter's Day, before the Ital- 
ian occupation of 1870. It is hard, in these prosaic days, 
when the world is smitten with the plagues of Free- 
masonry, Socialism and Anarchism, when the Pope's 
temporal sway is restricted to the precincts of the palace 
and the garden of the Vatican, and nearly every mani- 
festation of enthusiasm in his cause is forbidden by the 
rulers of the land, it is hard to recall the impressive scene 
so often witnessed of old, when the Pope, standing in this 
balcony, extended his hands in blessing over a hundred 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 15 

thousand of his kneeling children. The sudden appear- 
ance of the white-clad figure of the Pontiff under the awn- 
ing stretched over the balcony ; the thrilling sound of his 
voice as he chanted the benediction ; the flash of the sol- 
diers' swords, raised to salute Christ's Vicar ; the thunder 
of the cannon of Castel S. Angelo ; the clang and peal of 
St. Peter's bells, answered from the belfries of three hun- 
dred other churches ; the acclamations of the crowd as 
he was borne away in his sedia gestatoria — these are all 
things of the past, which can only be seen and heard 
again when the Holy Father recovers the freedom of 
which he has been despoiled. 

9.— THE GREAT PORTICO OR VESTIBULE. 

The measurements are enormous, 468 feet in length, 
66 feet high, 50 feet wide. Fine broad entrances admit to 
a spacious hall, rich in marbles, gildings, stuccoes, with a 
pavement of inlaid marble. At either extremity is an 
equestrian statue, the one on the right being that of Con- 
stantine, the other of Charlemagne. To the left of the 
middle door, affixed to the wall, is the epitaph composed 
by the order of Charlemagne for the tomb of Pope Adrian 
I (772-795), a relic of old St. Peter's. (1) 

Inside the porch, over the central arch, is the fragment 
of Giotto s famous mosaic, the Navicella, or St. Peter's 
bark, executed by the artist in 1289 and preserved at the 
demolition of old St. Peter's. It is related of Cardinal 
Baronius, the illustrious disciple of St. Philip Neri, that 
every time he passed this symbolic representation of 
Christ's Church, he reverently uncovered his head. 

Five great doors give access to the basilica. The cen- 
tral bronze doors belonged to Old St. Peter's, and were 
cast by the Greek sculptor, Antonio Philarete, for Euge- 
nius IV, in 1447. Among the reliefs are representations 
of the martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul. The door to the 
extreme right is the Porta Santa, opened only in the years 
of Jubilee. 

(1) Marucchi. Basiliques de ^ojne, p. 120. 



16 PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 

10. — THE INTERIOR OF ST. PETER'S. 

Pushing aside the heavy leather curtains that hang in the 
doorv/ay we enter into Christendom's Cathedral, the Queen 
of churches, the most stupendous edifice ever raised by the 
hand of man to the worship of his Creator. The sight 
that " bursts upon the astonished gaze, surpasses the wild- 
est dreams of imagination ; everything seems resplendent 
in light, magnificence and beauty. " (Eaton.) 

" I saw St. Peter's, " says Gray, " and was struck dumb 
with astonishment. " *' We stopped at the vestibule of 
St. Peter's Church; nor dare Vv^e with unhallowed pen 
violate the majesty of so divine a structure ; for there are 
some things which are never more adequately praised than 
by amazement and silence. " ( Mabillon. ) 

As we enter, *' the air is suddenly changed ; a hushed, 
half rhythmic sound makes the silence alive. The light is 
not dim or ineffectual, but soft and high, and is as rich as 
floating gold in the far distance and in the apse, an eighth 
of a mile from the door. " ( Marion Crawford. ) 

*' It is unparalleled in beauty, in magnitude and magnifi- 
cence, and is one of the noblest and most wonderful of the 
works of man. " ( Eaton. ) 

Architecture, sculpture, painting, represented by some 
of the mightiest geniuses the world has even seen, have 
done their utmost to make St. Peter's a worthy House of 
God, a temple of unrivalled splendor. On advancing up 
the nave under an arcade of stupendous arches, one is im- 
pressed by the beauty of the variegated marbles under- 
foot, the splendor of the golden vault high overhead, the 
lofty Corinthian pilasters on either side, the rich entabla- 
ture, the colossal statues of Saints, founders of religious 
orders, the glowing mosaics above the altars ; everything 
is rich, colossal, impressive, overpowering ; the eye is be- 
wildered at this vision of splendor seen through the sunlit 
atmosphere, and gazes in wonder at the glorious lines of 
arch and roof that follow on and on to the distant choir. At 
certain hours of the day, the brilliancy is wonderful, all the 
marbles and sculptures seem as fresh and new as though 
they had only just left the workmen's hands, and the atmos- 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 17 

phere beneath the dome and in the choir seems laden with 
a mist of gold. 

In the centre of the floor near the entrance is a large 
round slab of red prophyry, an object of great interest to 
foreigners, being the one on which the Emperors of the 
Holy K.oman Empire were formerly crowned. Kneeling 
here Charlemagne was crowned in the year 800. 

IL — DIMENSIONS OF THE BASILICA. 

** No one standing for the first time upon the pavement 
of St Peter's can make even a wide guess at the size of 
what he sees, unless he knows the dimensions of someone 
object. . . . To feel one's smallness and realize it, 
one need only go and stand beside the marble Cherubs 
that support the holy water basins against the first pillar. 
They look small, if not graceful ; but they are of heroic size. 

The nave is 613 feet long, 81 feet wide, 133 feet high ; 
the transept is 449 feet long. The dome towers to a 
height of 448 feet above the pavement, with a diameter 
in the interior of 139 feet 9 inches, a trifle less than that 
of the Pantheon. Looking up at the mosaic pictures of 
the four Evangelists on the spandrels of the dome, notice 
the pen in St. Luke's hand ; it seems of ordinary size, yet 
its length is about eight feet. The letters on the frieze 
round the dome are about six feet high. Fifty thousand 
persons would hardly fill the nave and transepts, and it is 
said that the building will hold eighty thousand. The 
enormous size of everything is not realized at first; ** it 
is only by observing the living, moving figures that one 
can form any idea of its colossal proportions." (A. Hare.) 

12.— ST. PETER'S STATUE. 

As we advance up the nave, attracted by the ring of 
lights that sparkle on the floor beneath the dome, we 
notice against a pillar on our right the bronze figure of 
St. Peter seated on a marble throne, and the faithful ap- 
proaching reverently to kiss the foot. It is touching to 
watch the mothers lifting up their little ones to pay this 
act of homage to the great Prince of the Apostles. 



18 PII.GPvIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Father Grisar, S.J., (1) proves the statue to be a work 
of the sixth century, of the time of Pope St. Symma- 
chus, and both he and the eminent archseologist, Lanci- 
ani, dismiss with contempt the statement of certain Prot- 
estant writers that it was originally a pagan statue. 

Every year on St. Peter's feast it is robed in a cope of 
gold brocade, crowned with a jewelled tiara, and invested 
with other pontifical insignia. An interminable line of 
people passes before it, each kissing its right foot, to tes- 
tify his reverence for the Prince of the Apostles, How 
many Saints have pressed their lips to this very foot and 
bent their heads to receive St. Peter's blessing ? 

13.— ST. PETER'S TOMB.— AD LIMINA APOSTOLORUM. 

The first thought of every Catholic pilgrim in I(ome 
naturally turns to St. Peter's tomb, and only when he is 
kneeling beneath Michael Angelo's wondrous dome, and 
looking down into the oval space in front of the high 
altar, does he realize that he has reached the goal of his 
pilgrimage. A marble balustrade surrounds this oval 
space, and a luminous crown of ninety-three lamps in 
triple clusters sheds its splendor over the hallowed spot. 
The descent is by a double flight of marble steps, within 
the curve of which is a beautiful kneeling figure of Pope 
Pius VI, by Canova. The walls are incrusted and the 
floor paved with precious stones, jasper, porphyry, agate, 
etc. In front are two brass statues of SS. Peter and Paul 
guarding the bronze doors that conceal a vaulted recess, 
whose grated floor is right over the Apostle's tomb. On 
opening these doors, a bronze urn is seen, in which are 
kept the Palliums destined for Archbishops. 

Kneeling in front of this holy spot, illumined by the 
mysterious splendor that streams from above, one's feel- 
ings are those of intense awe at the dread majesty of the 
place. '' This is truly the House of God and the Gate of 
Heaven." So many Saints have knelt here since the 
dawn of Christianity. Here St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. 

(1) Civiltd Cattolica, 1898. Analecta I^omana, 1899, p. 627 seq. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 19 

Philip Neri, St. Dominic and others prayed in ecstasy and 
bedewed the ground with their tears. Here Kings and 
Emperors have come to lay their homage and even their 
crowns at St. Peter's feet. Here in the dark days of per- 
secution both Pontiff (1) and the faithful have come to 
implore St. Peter's help and protection. Here in the 
present troubles of the Church, countless pilgrims have 
knelt and from countless hearts the prayer has gone up to 
heaven, that God would ''preserve the Holy Father and 
give him life, and make him blessed upon earth, and 
deliver him not up to the will of his enemies." 

At the demolition of the old basilica, in the time of Julius 
II, the tomb of St. Peter was left untouched. As some 
Protestants have questioned whether St. Peter' s body is still 
therey in the very tomb where it was replaced in the time 
of Constantine it is important to observe : 

1. That the tombs of SS. Peter and Paul have been ex 
posed but once to imminent danger of desecration since the 
time of Constantine, namely when the Saracens invaded 
Rome and plundered the churches in 846. 

2. That Pope Sergius II had several months' warning of 
their coming, and consequently time to wall up and conceal 
perfectly the entrances to the vaults where the tombs were. 

3. That the Saracens never discovered the tombs, or they 
would certainly have carried offthe golden cross, weighing 
150 pounds, which Constantine placed in St. Peter's 
tomb. 

That the golden cross is still there is proved by the fol- 
lowing fact : In 1594, at the erection of the new altar, 
while the architect Giacomo della Porta was levelling the 
floor above the confession, a portion of it gave way, and 
through the aperture the tomb of St. Peter was seen, 
and on it the golden cross of Constantine inscribed with 
his own and his mother St. Helena's names. Pope Cle- 
ment VIII, with the Cardinals Bellarmine and Antoniano, 
came to see it, and was so deeply impressed that he had 



(1) The present Holy Father, Leo XIII, occasionally comes here 
by night to pray. 



20 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the aperture at once strongly sealed up, rendering the 
tomb once more invisible andinaccesibie. (1) 

14. — THE HIGH ALTAR, CANOPY AND DOME. 

The High Altar is a Papal one, where formerly on 
great festivals the Pope v/as wont to celebrate Mass. 

"St. Peter's is only itself when the Pope is at the high 
altar, . . . On the very spot which becomes him, the 
one living link in a chain, the first ring of which is riveted 
to the shrine of the Apostle below." (Cardinal Wise- 
man.) 

Overshadowing the altar, Bernini's colossal balda- 
chino, with its four spiral columns of peerless bronze 
work, soars to a height of 120 feet from the base of 
the pillars to the top of the cross that surmounts it; 
yet from the vastness of the building, of which it is the 
central feature, no such idea of size is realized. The 
weight of this mighty canopy is said to be 93 tons. 

Crowning all is Michael Angelo's wonderous Dome, 
the mightiest effort of a master-hand. As we gaze up- 
ward, the feeling is one of bewilderment ; we grow dizzy ; 
we wonder how human power and human skill could have 
lifted and poised in air such a prodigious cupola. The 
size is realized if two persons stand on opposite sides of 
the great circle on the pavement corresponding to the im- 
mense sweep of the dome, and measure the distance be- 
tween them, stones, brick, timber, cement, water, all had 
to be lifted to the height of 400 feet. Sixtus V employed 
600 skilled workmen, who worked day and night, and in 
two years the mighty structure was reared at a cost of 200- 
000 gold scudi. Experts had estimated that it would cost 
a million gold scudi, and would take ten years to build. (2) 
* * Everything in the place is vast ; all the statues are colossal ; 
all the pictures are enormous. " (Marion Crawford.) 



(1) Marucchi. ^^ Basiliques de I^ome,^^ t^. 123. Lanciani. Chris- 
tian and Pagan Rome. C. IIL 

(2) Lanciani. Christian and Pagan I^ome, p. 143. Thurston's 
Holy Year of Jubilee, pp. 158, 159. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 21 

15.— THE SIDE CHAPELS. 

There are twenty-seven chapels opening from the side 
aisles and transepts, most of them decorated by princes. 
Beneath the different altars lie the bodies of many great 
Saints— (See below under No. XVII, § 2). 

In the first chapel on the right, that of the Pietdy 
adorned with Michael Angelo's marble group, will be no- 
ticed a column decorated with vine branches trailing round 
it. It formerly stood in the Confession of the old basilica. 
An inscription on the base states that it came originally 
from the temple of Jerusalem, and that our Saviour leaned 
against it while praying or preaching. (1) In the same 
chapel is the sarcophagus of Anicius Probus (395) with 
sculptured figures of the Apostles and an inscription refer- 
ring to the high rank of the deceased. 

In the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the bronze tab- 
ernacle of which is a copy of Bramante's '* Tempietto," 
at S. Pietro in Montorio, is the superb bronze monument 
of Sixtus IV (1471-1484) designed and cast by Pollaiuolo. 
Julius II (1503-1513), nephew of Sixtus IV, lies in the 
same tomb. 

In the other chapels many ancient sarcophagi lie con- 
cealed under the modern altars, v.g., those of St. Petro- 
nilla, St. Leo IV and St. Gregory the great. The splen- 
did baptismal font was the sarcophagus of the Emperor 
Otho II. The column with a picture of our Lady in the 
chapel of S. Leo belonged to the old basilica, where the 
picture was greatly venerated. 

The magnificent pictures in mosaic in the side chapels 
deserve special notice. It is only by the closest inspec- 
tion and under the influence of certain rays of light, that 
one can detect that they are not paintings, but were 
wrought, bit by bit, in infinitely small particles of mosaic. 
They are all copies of celebrated paintings, and were ex- 
ecuted at the Vatican mosaic works at enormous cost. 
The mosaic of ^.aphael's ** Transfiguration" is said to have 
occupied ten men constantly for nine years, and to have 

(1) Marucchi. '' BasiligueSy" p. 121. 



22 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

cost 60,000 francs. ''In execution they are wonderful, 
and many a stranger looks at them and passes on, believ- 
ing them to be oil-paintings. They possess the quality of 
being imperishable and beyond all influence of climate or 
dampness ; they are masterpieces of mechanical work- 
manship." (Marion Crawford). 

The most beautiful are the Transfiguration, by Raphael; 
the Last Communion of St. Jerome, by Domenichino; 
the Burial of St. Petronilla, by Guercino. 

16.— ST. PETER'S CHAIR. 

In the apse at the end of the basilica is a gigantic 
gilded bronze chair designed by Bernini, which is upheld 
by the four great Doctors of the Church, two Greek and 
two 'La.tin, vh., SS. Chrysostom and Athanasius ; SS. 
Ambrose and Augustine. It contains the actual chair 
used by St. Peter as Bishop of Rome. From th^ reign 
of Alexander VII till the year 1867, no one had ever set 
eyes upon k. In that year, however, on the occasion of 
the eighteenth centenary of the martyrdom of the Apos- 
tle, Pius IX ordered it to be exposed for the veneration 
of the people. 

The Tablet (Jan. 25, 1902), gives the following descrip- 
tion of it : ** The ancient framework of yellow oak was 
found (in 1867) to be worm-eaten and decayed, and bore 
marks of the pious violence of the faithful who had 
chipped portions of it away. The ancient oaken pieces 
of simple workmanship were adorned with later, though 
still ancient, additions of a more ornate kind. Panels of 
dark acacia wood bearing ivory squares with the labors 
of Hercules and other pagan scenes engraved upon them 
filled up the front and sides of the chair, and the back 
was composed of the same wood formed into arches 
surmounted by a tympanum." 

De Rossi and Marucchi have proved the existence of 
this venerable relic as far back as the second century. 
In the sixth century the Abbot John is recorded as hav- 
ing carried some of the oil from the lamp burning before 
this apostolic throne to the Lombard Queen Theodolinda. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 23 

In the seventh century, Ceadwalla, King of the West 
Saxons, came to venerate this holy relic, as recorded in 
his epitaph put up in Old St. Peter's by Pope Sergius I, 
and quoted by St. Bede, the Venerable, in his Church 
history: ** King Ceadwalla, the powerful in war, for 
love of God left all, that he might visit and see Peter and 
Peter's Chair, and humbly receive from that font the 
cleansing waters." 

It is uncertain in what part of Rome St. Peter placed 
his chair and the centre of administration of the Primitive 
Church. It is thought that it was for a time in the 
house of Pudens (S. Pudenziana), then in the cemetery 
of Ostrianus just beyond S. Agnese on the Via Nomen- 
tana; but Professor Marucchi contends that it was (1) in 
the ancient baptistery which has been brought to light 
at the Catacomb of St. Priscilla on the Via Salaria. We 
have seen above (n. 4) that in the fifth century it was in 
the Baptistery of Pope Damasus in Old St. Peter's. 

17. — SHRINES OF SAINTS AND OTHER GREATER 
RELICS. 

1. In the Confession of St. Peter under the high altar 
is the body of the great Apostle. His head and that of 
St. Paul have been venerated at the Lateran since the 
ninth century. (See n. 45.) 

Round the Apostle's tomb are the bodies of his first 
successors, SS. Linus, Cletus or Anacletus, Evaristus, 
Sixtus, Telesphorus, Hyginus, Pius, Eleutherius and 
Victor, all martyred for the faith. 

Somewhere in or near the basilica are said to be the 
remains of the first Christians cruelly put to death by 
Nero, whose number is known to God alone. 

2. Under the side altars are the bodies of many great 
Saints, viz.^ SS. Simon and Jude, Apostles, St. Leo I, 
St. Leo II, St. Leo III, St. Leo IV, St. Boniface IV, 
St. Gregory the Great, St. Fabian, St. Sixtus II, and 
twenty-three other canonized popes ; also St. John Chry- 



(\) For a time at least. 



24 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

sostom, SS. Processus and Martinian, St. Petronilla 
Aurelia, St. Gregory Nazianzen, and many others. 

The head of St. Andrew the Apostle, solemnly trans- 
lated by Pius II in 1462 from S. Maria del Popolo is also 
preserved here ; also the heads of St. Luke the Evange- 
list, St. Sebastian and St. Damasus. 

3. The three Great luetics of the Passion are : 

(a) The Volto Santo, or Veil of St. Veronica bearing 
the impressions of our Divine Lord's Face. No relic was 
more famous in the Middle Ages, and none gave rise to 
such enthusiastic manifestations of devotion. Marucchi 
says that it is first mentioned in documents of the eleventh 
century, and that the first to speak of it was Bernard of 
Soracte. (1) Baronius says that the tradition concerning 
it reaches back to time immemorial, ''ab immemorabiH." 
The copies of the Volto Santo usually seen are, says Ma- 
rucchi, mere fancy representations — the original has 
become so faint, that the features can hardly be distin- 
guished. 

(b) The Holy Lance. St. Andrew of Crete informs us 
that it was found near the true cross by St Helena, 
mother of Constantine. St. Bede and St. Gregory of 
Tours speak of its being venerated in the sixth century 
as one of the most precious relics at Jerusalem, Thence 
it was taken to Constantinople, and in 1453 was given by 
the Sultan Bajazet to Pierre d'Aubusson, grand-master 
of the Knights of I^hodes, who presented it to Pope 
Innocent VIII, in 1492. 

(c) A large I(elic of the True Cross brought to St. 
Peter's from Santa Croce by Urban VIII, in 1629. 

4. Besides these, the basilica possesses countless other 
precious relics chiefly of martyrs and confessors. 

18.— THE VATICAN CRYPTS. 

Formerly leave was easily given to see these, but of 
late years it has been necessary to take the greatest pre- 



(\) Marucchi. '■^ Les Basiliques,^^ p. 123. See also Bussierre. 
'' Les Basiliques de I^ome,''^ vol. I, p. 206. 




INTERIOR OF ST. PETER'S. 10. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 25 

caution, and the privilege is difficult to obtain. It is 
usually given to a priest who wishes to say Mass there, 
and he is allowed to bring only five persons with him. 

The entrance is by a narrow stair under the statue of 
St. Veronica at the foot of one of the four great piers of 
the dome. A priest-sacristan and two little acolytes with 
lighted tapers accompany visitors. At the foot of the 
steps a narrow passage leads to a small oratory in the 
form of a cross (one arm of which serves for a sacristy) 
where there is room for about a dozen persons. The 
altar is right in front of St. Peter's tomb, which, how- 
ever, is on a lower level, hidden and inaccessible. The 
electric light allows everything to be seen clearly. After 
Mass visitors are shown by a priest round the crypts, 
divided into Grotte nuove^ i. e.y the part under the dome, 
and Grotte Vecchie^ i. e.,\k\.-dX under the nave. We are 
here on the floor of the ancient basilica, surrounded by 
mediaeval tombs, ancient mosaics, fragments of precious 
marble work, in fact, nearly all that remains of the treasures 
of art that adorned Old St. Peter's. The exquisite beauty 
of some of the fragments of sculpture here preserved, 
(several from the hand of Mino di Fiesole and Donatello) 
makes one regret the wanton destruction of works of art, 
when Constantine's building was demolished with such 
haste by Bramante. There are the tombs of Popes 
Nicholas V, Paul II, Julius III, Nicholas III, Urban VI, 
etc. ; also of the Emperor Otho II, and those of James, 
the *'01d Pretender," of Prince Charles Edward, the 
"Young Pretender," and of Henry, Cardinal Duke of 
York, the last scions of the hapless Stuart race. K,ome 
was kind indeed to these royal exiles, for she gave them 
a shelter here in life, when all things earthly failed them, 
and in death a sepulchre close to the Prince of the 
Apostles. 

Opposite the entrance to the little oratory where Mass 
is said, is the splendidly sculptured sarcophagus of Junius 
Bassus, Prefect of K.ome ; and on the walls at either side 
of the entrance are exquisite marble reliefs by Donatello, 
representing the martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul. 



26 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

19. — SAINTS AT ST. PETER'S TOMB. 

1. The Saints who suffered martyrdom in Rome while 
on a pilgrimage to the Apostle's tomb were : 

SS. Marius and Martha and their sons, SS. Audifaxand 
Abacus from Persia ; St. Maurus from Africa ; St. Sim- 
piician and his two sons, SS. Constantine and Victorinus 
from Gaul ; St. Paterinus from Egypt. 

St. Zoe, arrested at St. Peter's tomb, was burnt alive. 

2. Countless Saints from all countries have come here on 
pilgrimage ; we can give the names of only a few : 

St. Athanasius, St. Augustine of Hippo, St. Paulinus 
of Nola, in the fourth century ; St. Ambrose, a youth in 
Rome must often have come here to pray, as also St. Je- 
rome, both before he left for Palestine and when he was 
recalled to Rome by Pope St. Damasus. (384.) 

St. Leo the Great preached at the tomb about 440 ; 

St. Gregory the Great speaks of a miracle at the tomb, 
in the sixth century. ( ''Dialogues, II, 25. ") 

SS. Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century ; 

SS. Odilo of Cluny, and St. Peter Damian in the 
eleventh century ; 

St. Dominic and St. Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth. 

It is related that St. Dominic was here favored with a 
vision of St. Peter and Paul, the first of whom gave him 
a staff' and the second a book, saying these words : ** Go 
and preach, for to this ministry thou art called. " Ever 
afterwards Dominic constantly bore about with him the 
book of the Gospels, and carried a stick on his journeys, a 
thing not observed in him before. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola, who had been miraculously cured 
of the wounds he received at Pampeluna by St. Peter, 
cherished a tender devotion to the great Apostle and must 
often have come here to pray. 

St. Philip Neri was once seen in ecstasy here, raised 
from the ground. 

St. Thomas of Aquin worked a great miracle in St. 
Peter's. ( Brev. Rom. ) 

St. Catherine of Sweden, who came to Rome in search 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 27 

of her mother, St. Bridget, found her kneelmg at St. 
Peter's tomb, etc. 

20.— ENGLISH, IRISH, SCOTCH SAINTS AT ST. PETER' S 

TOMB. 

In the fifth century St. Patrick here received his com- 
mission from Pope St. Celestine I to go and plant the 
Faith in Ireland. His attachment to St. Peter's chair is 
embodied in his charge to his disciples : ''As ye are Christ- 
ians so be ye also Romans. " (1) 

In the same century St. Ninian came to beg St. Peter's 
blessing on his mission to the Southern Picts. 

In the sixth century St. Kentigern (Mungo,) Bishop of 
Glasgow and Strathclyde, made seven pilgrimages to St. 
Peter's tomb. 

St. Benedict Biscop of Wearmouth,made six pilgrimages, 
and was contemplating a seventh just before his death. 

In the seventh century St. Willibrord here received his 
commission to evangelize Germany and Frisia. 

St. Wilfrid of York, sorely tried in his office, here came 
to seek consolation and protection. 

In the eighth century 5t. Boniface (Winfrid) of England 
here prepared himself for his apostleship and martyrdom 
in Germany. 

In the eleventh century came St. Anselm of Canterbury. 

In the twelfth century St. Malachy, Archbishop of Ar- 
magh, here begged leave to resign his archiepiscopal 
office, that he might enter the Cistercian order. He died 
at Citeaux in 1147, and St. Bernard is his biographer. 

21. — ANGLO-SAXON KINGS AT ST. PETER' S TOMB. 

Ccedwalla, King of the West Saxons, being converted 
to the Faith by St. Wilfrid, '* forsaking all for the love of 
God " (as we read in the epitaph placed on his tomb by 
Sergius I) came to Rome to be baptized. While still 
wearing the white robe of the newly-baptized, he fell ill 



(1.) See "^Book of Armagh, " fol. 



28 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

and died, ^^ candidiis inter oves Christi^^' and was buried 
in the loggia of old St. Peter's, A. D. 689. 

InUy Caedwalla's successor, after a glorious reign of 
thirty years came to Rome with his wife, Queen Ethel- 
burga, about A. D. 720, where, renouncing the world, they 
lived in evangelical poverty and died about A. D. 728. It 
is doubtful whether they were buried in the portico of St. 
Peter's, or in the church of St. Maria in Saxia (now called 
S. Spirito in Sassia) in the Anglo-Saxon quarter near 
the Vatican. Ina's foundation of a hospice for English 
pilgrims will be mentioned later (n. 30). 

Conrad, King of the Mercians, renouncing the world 
came to Rome to live as a monk, A. D. 709, and at his 
death was buried near Caedwalla in St. Peter's. 

Offa, son of Segeric, King of the East Saxons, had ac- 
companied Conrad to Rome, and following his example, 
here adopted a monastic life. He was also buried in St. 
Peter's. 

Frithogitha, Queen of the West Saxons, came as a pil- 
grim in T?>T . 

Ceolwulf, King of Northumbria, resigning his kingdom 
to Eadbert, in 758, received the monastic tonsure at St. 
Peter's tomb. 

In 853, King Ethelwulf sent his little son Alfred, aged 
five, to Rome, where the royal child was anointed by St. 
Leo IV. 

In 855, Ethelwulf himself came on pilgrimage with a 
numerous suite. He rebuilt the English Hospice, founded 
by King Ina, (known as the Schola Saxoniim), which had 
been destroyed by fire. (1) He was the first Saxon king 
who granted titles to the Church. 

In 874, King Burked was led by devotion to undertake 
the pilgrimage to Rome, and died in the holy city. 

In 1030, King Canute came with a brilliant equipage 
and wrote a letter from Rome to Archbishop Alfrice full 
of tender devotion to the Prince of the Apostles. 

It is well known that St. Edward, the Confessor, had 



(1) Probably by the Saracens, in 846. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 29 

made a vow to visit the tombs of the Apostles, but being 
prevented from fulfilling it, he built Westminster Abbey 
in honor of St. Peter. 

22. — REVERENCE OF KINGS, EMPERORS, AND EVEN OF 
BARBARIAN INVADERS, FOR ST. PETER' S TOMB. 

The Emperor Charlemagne made four pilgrimages to 
K.ome, and when he came to be crowned in 800, he 
ascended the steps of St. Peter's on his knees, as stated 
above. 

The other monarchs, who came out of reverence to be 
anointed and crowned in H.ome, were : Lothaire, in 8.23 ; 
Louis, in 844 ; Alfred of England, in 854 ; Charles II of 
France, in 871 ; Charles III, in 873 ; Otho I of Germany, 
in 881 ; Otho II, in 962 ; St. Henry I of Germany and his 
Queen St. Cunegunda, in 1014, etc. 

Other royal personages accounted it a privilege to be 
made canons of St. Peter's. 

Others again sent golden crowns to be hung over the 
Apostle's tomb, as Clovis, King of the Franks, Theo- 
doric, King of the Goths, the Emperors Justin and Jus- 
tinian. 

Even barbarian princes, wild invaders from the North, 
were awed by the sacredness of St. Peter's tomb. 

Attilay King of the Huns (434-453), had styled himself 
the ** Scourge of God." *' Along the track of my horses' 
hoofs," he said, ''the very vegetation must disappear." 
No havoc could be more vividly described. Marching on 
Rome, the city being left by the Emperor Valentinian 
helpless and defenseless, he was met by St. Leo, who 
forbade him to advance. A mysterious awe seized Attila 
as he saw in the air behind the Pope the patrons of Rome. 
He obeyed and led his wondering warriors away. 

Alaric, leader of the Visigoths (382-412), besieged Rome 
and took it by surprise in 410. He gave it up to be plun- 
dered by his soldiers, who spread themselves throughout 
the city, causing terrible havoc and setting fire to many 
of the buildings. In the space of a few hours Rome lost 



30 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

that power, splendor and magnificence which had made 
it for so many ages the first city in the world. Yet Alaric 
forbade his soldiers to desecrate or plunder the basilicas 
of the two Apostles. 

Gensericy King of the Vandals (428-477), whose heart 
was insensible to pity, while he plundered every house 
and temple in Rome with savage fury (A. D. 455), spared 
the Vatican and St. Paul's basilicas with their treasures, 
and even allowed the gold and silver plate from other 
churches to be deposited there for safety. He, also, at 
the prayer of St. Leo, spared the buildings of the city and 
the lives of the inhabitants. 

Twice, however, St. Peter's has been plundered, viz.^ 
by the Saracens in 846, and by the LtUheran soldiers of 
Charles V, led by Constable de Bourbon, in 1527. 

The French spoilers of the Church, in the Pontificates 
of Pius VI and Pius VII, showed themselves greater 
marauders than the wild men of the North. Had not 
Providence interfered, all the gold, silver, bronze, and 
even lead of St. Peter's would have been carried off. 
They had already appointed a company of Jews to esti- 
mate the value of the treasure. Fortunately, the course 
of events in France made them beat a hasty retreat from 
Rome.(l) The modern enemies of the Church seem 
more relentless in their hatred of everything hofy than any 
of their predecessors ; but, however fierce the hostility 
they display, Catholics fear nothing, knowing that 
Christ is with His Church, guiding and protecting her, 
and that the gates of hell can never prevail against her. 



(1) Eustace. Classical Tour Through Italy ^ I, p. 244. 



CHAPTER II. 

The Holy Father— The Vatican Palace— Neigh- 
borhood OF St. Peter's. 

23 — the prisoner of the VATICAN. 

Standing near the obelisk in the piazza of St. Peter's and 
looking up at the windows of the Pope's apartments, we 
may recall the words of Louis Veuillot, ''Quede soucis 
derriere ces vitres ! " There dwells the successor of St. 
Peter, the keeper of the keys, the Vicar of God on earth, 
— an old man, bent with the weight of years and cares, 
yet full of mental vigor, and unbending in his resistance to 
the enemies of the Church. 

*' The Pope is alone in the Vatican, without a friend 
among the Governments of the world, without territory, 
without treasure, without an army, without power, with- 
out a voice in the senate of nations, a prisoner in his own 
palace, begirt by the troops of a hostile king. His visi- 
ble sovereignty is indeed gone. Nevertheless his invis- 
ible sovereignty was, perhaps, never stronger than to-day. 
. . . With all the forces of the world against him, he has 
fought the fight well and drawn tighter the bonds of re- 
spect and love and obedience which knit the Roman 
Church into one harmonious whole, its unity never more 
absolute, its purity never more apparent, its authority 
never more loyally recognized. " 

24. — ST. PETER'S SUCCESSOR. 

There, in the Vatican, Peter still lives in his successor, 
Leo XIII. The power given to Peter, the Primacy vested 
in him, the promises made to him are perpetuated in his 
successors. Leo XIII is the reigning monarch of a dy- 

(1) London Daily Telegraph, August 21, 1899. 



32 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

nasty that counts the empires of Europe as children of a 
day. On that throne have sat in unbroken Une 256 men, 
nearly one-third af them Saints, and all of them for over 
300 years martyrs. Their history has been and is the his- 
tory of civilization, the constant struggle of mind against 
materialism ; of order against anarchy ; of truth against 
scepticism ; of principle againt voluptuousness. It is a 
chronicle of the success of freedom over slavery, of kind- 
ness over cruelty, of noble ideas over human depravity. 

" Of all the Popes not one that did not brave the trou- 
bled waters of a hostile world. Many of them were sup- 
posed at the time to have been hopelessly shipwrecked, but 
the barque of Peter did not sink. Wave after wave, 
generation after generation, century after century has 
come with its threat and peril and shock, but the centuries 
have passed and Peter remains. Men overwhelmed him 
by force, or buffeted him with insult, but men came and 
passed, while Peter remained." (R. Kane, S.J. 1900.) 

Cardinal Vaughan in an address delivered in 1895, 
speaks thus of the Papacy: '' Thirty Popes have been 
martyred, and one-fifth of the whole line has been exiled 
or imprisoned, but the Popes have always regained their 
liberty. The life of the Papacy is like that of Christ 
Himself, chequered by sufferings and peaceful times ; 
to-day hosannas, to-morrow the passion and crucifixion ; 
but these followed by the resurrection. The Vicar of 
Christ and His Church are necessarily in conflict with the 
false maxims of the world, and sufferings and persecu- 
tions are the inevitable consequence." 

25. — WHAT ST. PETER AND HIS SUCCESSORS HAVE 
DONE FOR ROME, ITALY AND EUROPE. 

1. They destroyed the colossal monster of Greek and 
K.oman paganism, with all its unspeakable and sickening 
abominations. 

2. They changed the whole face of Europe, rescuing 
the degraded slave from bondage, protecting the rights of 
the poor and defenceless, putting down infanticide, exalt- 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 33 

ing the position of woman, teaching the nations to be 
pure and chaste, shedding everywhere the blessing of 
holy charity and peace. 

3. They founded Christian R.onie and made it a centre 
of enlightenment and salutary influence to all the rest of 
the world. 

4. They rescued Italy over and over again, in succes- 
sive ages, from Goths, Vandals, Lombards, Saracens, 
etc. Even the infidel Gibbon is forced to confess that, 
but for the Popes, the name of I(ome might have been 
erased from the earth. 

5. They converted and civilized the wild barbarian 
hordes that rushed in from the north on the decaying 
Roman empire. 

6. They covered Europe with churches, minsters, col- 
leges, universities and beneficent institutions. 

7. They rescued Europe once more from hopeless 
slavery, when barbarism, brutal feuds and tyranny re- 
placed the Carlovingian Empire. 

8. They projected and organized the Crusades, per- 
suading the Christian sovereigns of Europe to abandon 
rapine, violence, internecine conflict, and **to take the 
cross " against the common enemy of Christendom. 

9. They planned the victories of Lepanto, Vienna and 
Temeswar, without which Europe at this day might have 
formed part of one vast Ottoman empire. 

10. They humbled tyrants like Henry IV, and the 
three Fredericks of Germany, and defended, pacified, 
preserved the oppressed states of mediaeval Italy. 

11. During their absence at Avignon, Rome fell into a 
state ^of decay, misery and barbarism. At their return 
the [city revives, and a new and remarkable era opens 
with^the accession of Nicholas V. 

12. They preserved the ancient monuments of Rome. 
But for them the Coliseum, the Pantheon, and Hadrian's 
Mausoleum, etc., might have long since disappeared. In 
recent times they preserved the art treasures of Rome 
and'the Papal States, which enterprising agents were try- 



34 PILGRIM-M'ALKS IN ROME. 

ing to secure for the museums of England, France and 
Germany. 

13. They fostered the arts of music, painting, sculp- 
ture, architecture, etc., and attracted to K,ome the mighti- 
est geniuses in these arts the world has ever seen. 

14. Above all they have upheld the light of faith, 
shining clear with undimmed splendor amid the darkness 
with which Gnostics, Manicheans, Arians, Hussites, 
Lutherans, Calvinists, Jansenists overspread the world. 

In his allocution of April 21, 1878, Leo XIII says: 
*' It was this Holy See that gathered and moulded the 
remnants of the old society that had fallen into decay 
(after the fall of the Roman empire). It was the friendly 
torch that showed the way to the humane kindness that 
beamed over Christian ages. It was the anchor of safety 
in cruel tempests by which the human race was tossed. 
It was the one sacred bond of concord that held together 
nations otherwise separated, and differing in their cus- 
toms. It was the common centre whence, not only the 
teaching of faith and practice was sought, but also, coun- 
sel and rulings in regard to peace and the settlement of 
disputes. It is the glory of the Popes that they ever 
stood as a wall and a bulwark to prevent human society 
from sinking back again into its former barbarism and 
superstition." 

26. — OUR HOLY FATHER, LEO XIII. (1) 

To see the Holy Father application should be made by 
pilgrims to the Rector of the College of their own nation- 
ality, English, Irish, Scotch, North American or Canadian, 
through whom tickets of admission to audiences may be 
obtained from the Maestro di Camera of His Holiness. 
Applications may also be made through any Bishop of 
their own nationality, or through any Ecclesiastic or Re- 
ligious Superior known at the Vatican. 

The present Holy Father is thus described in the Tablet 



(1) An interesting sketch of his life will be found in The Mes- 
senger, New York, March, May, 1902. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 35 

( March 1 st , 1 902 ) : ' ' All the world is a witness of the mag- 
nitude of his work, which is not yet over. Time, indeed, 
has exacted its tribute, and the weight of ninety-two years 
is shown in the drooping figure and the attenuated frame ; 
old age has made his pallid features still paler, his skin 
more transparent, and has perhaps dimmed somewhat the 
lustre of his eye. But if his frail body bears the traces of 
lengthened years and ceaseless labors, it is untouched by 
disease, and for many years past he has looked more like 
a visitant from another world than a native of this. All 
who come in contact with him are impressed with the 
mighty spirit which has controlled the destinies of the 
Church for the last quarter of a century. They speak 
with wonder of his lucid faculties, of his retentive memory, 
and of the ready and intelligent interest he takes in all 
that concerns his visitors. He compels the respect even 
of the hostile forces at his very door ; insidious attacks 
upon the Church in the masonic press are often mingled 
with words of praise for the venerable Pontiff who rules 
it." 

Leo XIII has on many occasions expressed his admira- 
tion of, and his affection for, the people of the British Isles 
and the United States, as v/ell as his gratitude for the 
liberty enjoyed by his spiritual children under the laws of 
those countries. 

27.— THE VATICAN PALACE. 

The usual entrance is by the bronze door at the end of 
the right colonnade. Once the pilgrim passes that door, 
where the Swiss guards in picturesque uniform stand sen- 
tinel, he is no longer on Italian, but on Papal territory, 
that is on all that remains of the States of the Church and 
the Patrimony of St. Peter, since the Italian usurpation of 
1870. 

As these notes are intended for pilgrims in search of 
what is religious rather than what is artistic, the apart- 
ments and art treasures of the Vatican are but briefly 
described. 



36 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The Vatican palace is the work of many popes. 

It already existed as a papal residence in the time of 
Adrian I (772-795) and St. Leo III (795-816), and 
Charlemagne on occasion of his several visits to R^ome is 
believed to have resided here. 

It was rebuilt by Innocent III (1198-1276), after it had 
fallen into decay, and enlarged by Nicholas III (1277- 
1280). 

Up to the time of the removal of the Papal See to Avig- 
non (1305), the Lateran Palace was the ordinary Papal 
residence, the Vatican being only used on state occasions 
and for the reception of sovereigns. After the return 
from Avignon (1377), the Lateran Palace having perished 
by fire, the pontifical residence was fixed at the Vatican. 

Nicholas V (1447-55) began to enlarge it, and his work 
was continued by Alexander VI. Sixtus IV built the 
Sixtine chapel in 1473, and Julius II erected the Loggie 
round the Court of St. Damasus, these being completed 
by Leo X. Other portions were added by subsequent 
Pontiffs. 

The "Royal Stair," Scala R^egia^ by which we ascend 
to the Sixtine Chapel, was erected by Bernini for Urban 
VIII. It consists of four flights of marble steps, adorned 
with a double row of marble Ionic columns ; and at its 
landing another stair to the right leads to the Scala I^egiUy 
where is the entrance to the Sistine Chapel. The frescoes 
in this Scala I(egia represent the Battle of Lepanto (1571) 
and other notable events in the history of the Papacy. 

(\) The Sistine Chapel. Cappella Sistina. 

It was built by Baccio Pintelli for Sixtus IV in 1473. 
In 1508-9 Michael Angelo covered the whole of the vaulted 
ceiling with his stupendous frescoes of the Creation and 
Fall of Man, the Deluge, etc., adding colossal figures of 
the prophets and Sibyls in the curvatures of the arches. 
Within the years 1537-41, he painted the huge fresco of 
the Last Judgment on the end wall. On the left wall are 
frescoed incidents from the life of Moses, by Signorelli, 
R^oselli and Botticelli. On the right wall are scenes from 




1 



ST. PETER'S STATUE. 12. 




ST. petek's confession. 13. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 37 

the life of our Lord, by Botticelli ^ Ghirlandajo, Perugino 
and R^oselli. 

The Sixtine Chapel is used for great Papal ceremonies. 

The Sala Ducale opposite is seldom shown. It is used 
for consistories and the admission of Cardinals into the 
Sacred College. ''The finest ecclesiastical sight to be 
seen in Rome is the carrying of the Pope through the Sala 
Ducale to the ceremonies of the Sixtine Chapel." (Aug. 
Hare.) 

(2) Gallery of Modern Paintings. 

Returning to the landing of the Scala I^egia and ascend- 
ing by another (narrow) stair, we reach two large rooms 
containing a collection of modern paintings presented to 
Pius IX and Leo XIII. 

The^ first room has a striking painting by Fracassini. (1) 
**The Interview of Blessed Peter Canisius S. J., with the 
Emperor Ferdinand II and Cardinal Otho Truchses"; 
also " The Martyrdom of five Jesuit Beati at Salsette, near 
Goa," by Nobiliy and a picture of ** Blessed John Baptist 
de la Salle," by Mariani, etc. 

In the second room is a large painting by Mateiko, a 
Polish artist (1883), representing Sobieski's Entrance into 
Vienna after his triumph over the Turks (1683). On the 
left wall is Fracassini' s '* Martyrs of Gorcum, Holland," 
and on the right Loverini' s picture of '' St. Grata taking up 
the head of the martyr, St. Alexander." 

The tkird room, known as the Hall of the Immaculate 
Conception, is richly decorated with frescoes by Podesti 
and Fracassini, representing the proclamation of the 
Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, by Pius IX, in 
1854. In composition and color they are remarkably fine 
works, and interesting as a portrait gallery of eminent 
ecclesiastics living at the time. 



(1) This young artist, one of the best in I^ome, died about 1865, 
at the age of twenty-nine. Some of the noblest frescoes in S. 
Lorenzo are his work. 



Q 



8 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 



( 3 ) The Stance of Raphael. 

From the " Sala dell'Immacolata " we enter the Stanze 
of Raphael, which contain the foremost creations of this 
great master, rivalled by no similar works of art except 
the ceiling-paintings in the Cappella Sistina. The mar- 
velous works of Raphael, Michael Angelo, Domenichino, 
Ghirlandajo, Pintm-richio, Perugino, etc., as seen in the 
Vatican and the churches of Rome, show that genius is 
greatest when exercised in portraying and conveying to 
the people the sublime truths of Faith. 

(1) The First Room, Stanza deV Incendio, has three 
large frescoes. 

(a) The fire in the Borgo S. Spirito, by j^aphael, aged 
34. The event depicted occurred in the reign of Leo IV. 

{b) The Victory of Leo IV, over the Saracens at Ostia. 
(849), by Giovanni da Udine, from Raphael's designs. 

{c) The coronation of Charlemagne in St. Peter's (800) 
hy Perino del Vaga, also from Raphael's drawings. The 
ceiling-paintings are by Perugino. 

(2) The Second Room, Stanza della Segnatura, is so 
named because Papal briefs were formerly signed here. 
The frescoes are all by I(aphaeL 

{a) The Disputa, or '* Mystery of the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, " — ''the most beautiful representation of the Chris- 
tian Church in existence. " (Rio). On the completion of 
this, the master's greatest v/ork, Julius II caused the fres- 
coes previously painted in these rooms by Perugino^ So- 
doma and others to be effaced, saying no other hand than 
Raphael's should touch those walls. (1) 

{b) The School of Athens or Assembly of Scholars. 

{c) The Parnassus^ with Apollo, the Muses and the Poets. 
On the ceilings are figures of Theology, Philosophy, 
Poetry, Jurisprudence by Raphael. 

(3) The Third Room, Stanza d' Eliodoro, has four 
frescoes by Ifaphael: 



(1) For each of the paintings I^aphael is said to have received 
1200 gold scudi, /. e., nearly 500 pounds. They were seriously in- 
jured during the plundering of ^ome by the Lutherans in 1527. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 39 

(a) Heliodorus driven from the Temple by Angels. 

(b) The meeting of St. Leo the Great and Attila. 

(c) The miracle of the Blessed Sacrament at Bolsena, 
near Orvieto. (1) 

(Pope Julius II and his court are represented as assisting 
at the miracle.) 

(d) The deliverance of St. Peter from prison. 

(4) The Fourth K.oom, Sa/a di Costantino. The fres- 
coes begun by Raphael, till death interrupted his work, 
were finished from his designs by Giulio I^omano. They 
represent : 

Constantine's victory over Maxentius. 

The apparition of the cross. 

Constantine's gift to Pope St. Sylvester. 



Visitors should ask one of the guardians to show them the 
Cappella di Nicola QuintOy covered with frescoes by Beato 
Angela , in 1447, representing incidents in the lives and 
martyrdom of St. Stephen and St. Lawrence. They are 
the last and finest of his works. 



(4) The Loggie of I^aphael and the Pinacoteca. 

The loggie are arcaded corridors opening on the Court 
of St. Damasus, decorated with arabesques and with fres- 
coes of Old Testament subjects designed by K^aphael and 
executed by his pupils, Giulio K,omano, Francesco Penni 
and others. 

The Pinacoteca, or Picture Gallery, founded by Pius 
VII, is a collection of paintings few in number, but of 
great value. Two of the grandest paintings in the world 
are here exhibited, viz., I^aphaeV s *' Transfiguration," the 
most splendid oil painting in the world, and Domenichind' s 
''Last Communion of St. Jerome." 



(1) A priest at Bolsena, while saying Mass, began to doubt about 
transubstantiation. He was convinced by the bleeding of the 
Sacred Host. The corporal, with marks of the Precious Blood, is 
preserved in the Cathedral of Orvieto. 



40 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The ** Transfiguration " was begun for the Cathedral of 
Narbonne by order of Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, who, 
when elected Pope under the name of Clement VII, would 
not let the picture leave Italy. It was not quite finished 
when Raphael died (1520), and it hung over his death-bed 
as he lay in state and was carrried in his funeral procession. 
Clement VII, at his death (1534), left it to S. Pietro in 
Montorio, whence it was removed by Pius VII to the 
Vatican. 

Domenichind' s glorious painting was ordered by the 
Franciscans of Ara Coeli, who, disliking it, quarreled with 
the master, paid him only fifty scudi, and threw his noble 
work into a lumber room. Poussin, the great French 
artist, being asked to paint an altar piece for their church, 
they produced Domenichino's picture, requesting him to 
use that and so spare the expense of fresh canvas. Poussin 
at once saw its value and refused to paint anything for the 
Friars who had shown such contempt for a work of extra- 
ordinary merit. Such is the story told. The painting found 
its way to the Church of S. Girolamo della Carita, whence 
it was taken to Paris, in 1798, and on its restitution, in 
1815, was placed in the Vatican. 

liaphaeVs ''Madonna di Foligno" was ordered in 1511 
by Sigismondo Conti for the church of Ara Coeli, and re- 
moved in 1565 to Foligno, where Conti's great-niece had 
become a nun. 

There are other paintings of great beauty and interest 
by Murillo, Perugino, young Raphael, Giulio Romano, etc. 

(5) The Vatican Library, 

It was begun by Nicholas V and enlarged by Sixtus IV 
and Sixtus V. All the books and manuscripts are enclosed 
in painted cupboards. Among its treasures are the famous 
Codex Vaticanus, a. manuscript of the Greek Testament of 
the fifth century ; a Virgil of the fifth century, a Terence 
of the fourth century ; manuscripts written by St. Thomas 
of Aquin, Dante, (1) and Petrarch; the original Manu- 

(1) It is said that no original MS. of Dante is extant. The Vati- 
can MS. must be a copy. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 41 

script of Defensio Fidei , which won for Henry VIII the 
title of ** Defender of the Faith ; " also many illuminated 
manuscripts of rare beauty. 

Cardinal Wiseman thus describes the Vatican Library : 
** A door opposite gives a view of the grand double hall 
beyond, divided by piers. The cases round them and 
along the walls are the very treasure shrines of learning, 
containing only gems of manuscript lore. Above, all is 
glowing with gold and ultramarine, as airy and brilliant as 
Zuccari could lay them." (Life by W. Ward, p. 55.) 

(6) The Vatican Gardens. 

Special leave is required to see them. They are beauti- 
fully laid out, but have melancholy associations, as they 
are the only spot of ground where the august Prisoner of 
the Vatican has been able to take exercise since 1870. 

(7) The Pope' s Apartments. 

** The small portion of the Vatican inhabited by the 
Pope is never seen except by those who are admitted to 
special audience. The three rooms occupied by the Pon- 
tiff are furnished with a simplicity which would be incon- 
ceivable in the abode of any other sovereign prince. The 
furniture is confined to the merest necessaries of life ; 
strange contrast to Lambeth and Fulham." (Aug. Hare.) 



As we leave the Vatican to visit the churches in the 
neighborhood we may reflect on the contrast between the 
Papacy founded on the Rock of Peter and the ephemeral 
governments and political organizations built by man on 
shifting sand — the one a divine institution, the others often 
born of violence and oppression ; the one to last to the 
end of time, the others fleeting with the passing years ; 
the one ever leading its subjects upward and heavenward, 
the others hurried on the downward path by the forces of 
destruction ; the one a rock and centre of peace, the others 
storm-swept, in perpetual tumult ; the one with its age- 
long traditions of sanctity, the others grown godless, irre- 
ligious, materialistic, having broken loose from all the 



42 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

restraints of conscience and morality ; the one the centre 
of a spiritual empire not of this world, the others leagued 
in perpetual and irreconcilable conflict against it and all 
the ideas it represents. 

** Thou art Peter, and upon the Rock I will build my 
Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." 

28.— ST. MARIA IN CAMPO SANTO, ON THE LEFT SIDE 
OF ST. PETER'S, NEAR THE SACRISTY. 

This church, served by German priests, has adjoining it a 
cemetery for Germans, over the soil of which earth from 
Calvary is said to have been strewn. A hospice or home 
for Prankish pilgrims, known as Schola Francorum, was 
founded here in Charlemagne's reign (ninth century), the 
buildings of which were destroyed by Pius VI when erect- 
ing the new sacristies of St. Peter. Papal alms seem to 
have been distributed at this hospice from the time of its 
foundation. A pilgrim to Rome, writing in the year 1630, 
says : '' Every Monday and Friday some 2,000 poor per- 
sons here receive a dole of bread and a flask of wine ; 
every v/eek 1,000 large loaves and fourteen barrels of wine 
are thus distributed." (1) 

29.— SANTO SPIRITO IN SASSIA, IN THE BORGO S. 
SPIRITO, NEAR ST. PETER'S — ANGLO-SAXON SAINTS. 

This church, formerly known as Sa. Maria in Saxia 
(''St. Mary's in the Anglo-Saxon quarter"), has a spe- 
cial interest for Enghsh pilgrims. In the eighth and ninth 
centuries the English occupied this district, which came 
to be known as Burgus Saxonum ; it still bears the title of 
Sassia, the Saxon word Burg surviving in the modern 
appellation, Borgo. 

Ina, King of the West Saxons, here founded a hospice, 
or home, for English pilgrims in 727, with a church ad- 
joining it, which was burned down after being probably 
plundered by the Saracens in 846, but was rebuilt by 



(1) Armellini. Le Chiese di I^oma^ p. 766. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 43 

King Etheiwulf in 853 (n. 21). King Burhed, of Mercia, 
is thought to have been buried here, and it is uncertain 
whether King Ina and his wife, Queen Ethelburga, were 
laid to rest here or in the atrium of St. Peter's. 

They are said to have died blessing God in their last 
moments that He suffered them to lay their dust in the 
consecrated soil of K.ome. 

A little before the pontificate of Innocent III (1198- 
1216), the Anglo-Saxon home was changed into a general 
hospital, confided to the care of the Hospitallers of the 
Holy Ghost, founded by Guy de Montpellier in 1178. (1) 

Another English Hospice was founded by John and 
Alice Shepherd in the fourteenth century, where now 
stands the English College. 

T)i^lckaracteristics of the Anglo-Saxon Church were purity 
of doctrine, intimate union with Rome, a national devotion 
to *' Our Lady St. Mary," which earned for England the 
name of *' Mary's dowry," and a great devotion to St. 
Peter. The very name of Rome threw a spell over 
churchmen and laymen. Bishops and Kings, and drew 
them in frequent pilgrimages to the tomb of the Apostle. 
Anglo-Saxon England stands unique in history for the 
number of its royal saints, kings and queens. Ethelbert of 
Kent, Edwin and Oswald of Northumbria, Oswin of Deira, 
Sebbe of Essex, Ethelred of Mercia, Ina of Wessex, and 
many others are numbered with the saints. No less than 
twenty-six English Kings and Queens exchanged the 
pomp of royalty for the poverty of the cloister. (2) The 
calendar of the Anglo-Saxon Church was filled with the 
names of more than three hundred canonized saints, of 
whom more than half were of royal birth. 

30. — OSPEDALE DEL SANTO SPIRITO — HOSPITAL OF 
THE HOLY GHOST. 

This immense establishment founded by Innocent III, 
was rebuilt by Sixtus IV in 1471. Volumes have been 
written on the charity to the poor exercised in this and 

(1) ArmelUni. Ibid, p. 772. 

(2) Guggenberger, S. J. General History, I. n. 102, p. 73. 



44 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

similar Papal institutions in Rome. (1) Since 1870 the 
Hospital has been laicised, with its revenue of nearly a 
million francs ; (2) its present revenue hardly amounts to 
a third of that sum, so that its charitable work has suffered 
greatly. 

Many saints have ministered to the sick in this hospital. 
Here St. Philip Neri saw angels whispering to St. Camillus 
de Lellis and his companions the words of comfort they 
were to speak to the sick and dying. St. Frances of R^ome, 
and her friend, Vannozza, came almost every day to this hos- 
pital and nursed the sick with the kindest attention, con- 
soling them by gentle words, bestowing alms upon the 
more needy, and tending affectionately those suffering 
from disgusting forms of disease. 

The following fact is interesting. 

Venerable Oliver Plunket, the martyr-Archbishop of 
Armagh, came to visit this hospital before his departure 
from R,ome. When standing at the door which looks to- 
wards Castel S. Angelo and bidding farewell to the then 
prior Don Jerome Mieskow, a Polish priest of extraordi- 
nary sanctity of life, the latter, embracing him, and as if 
prophesying, said to him : *' My Lord, you are now go- 
ing to shed your blood for the Catholic faith. ' ' Dr. Plunket, 
wholly inflamed with the desire of thus shedding his blood 
for Christ, replied, with humility : "I am unworthy of 
such a favor ; nevertheless, aid me with your prayers, 
that this my desire may be fulfilled." 

(Cardinal Moran, Life of Ven. 0. Plunket, p. 22.) 

31. — S. MARIA TRASPONTINA, IN THE BORGO NUOVO 
NEAR ST. PETER'S. 

PILLAR AT WHICH ST. PETER WAS SCOURGED. 

This, the head church of the Carmelites, was founded 
by the Cardinal of Alexandria (Lombardy), who became 

(1) See V. g. Card. Morichini, Istituti di carita, lib. I. c. 2. 

(2) The revenues of charitable institutions and pious confraterni- 
ties were appropriated, the reason stated being that works of benefi- 
cence belonged to the State ; and by a special law, absolutely 
everything belonging to the pious works of Rome was confiscated — 
legacies, foundations for Masses, etc. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 45 

Pope St. Pius V. It is richly decorated and has a hand- 
some high altar. 

In a side chapel on the left is venerated the pillar at 
which the Prince of the Apostles is said to have been 
scourged, before he was led to his crucifixion. St. Paul, 
because of his position as a K^oman citizen, would be ex- 
empted from this cruel and humiliating penalty, but it 
seems certain that St. Peter must have undergone it, as by 
K.oman law it was always inflicted before crucifixion. 
Flagellation was accounted by the K.omans a most humil- 
iating form of punishment, never to be inflicted on a Ro- 
man citizen, but reserved for slaves, traitors, rebels. Pru- 
dentius refers to it as perhaps the most painful and cruel 
of the tortures the Martyrs had to suffer. (1) 

S. GIACOMO A SCOSSA CAVALLI — RAPHAEL'S DEATH. 

A little nearer St. Peter's than the last-named church is 
the Piazza Scossa cavalliy a strange name, probably derived 
from some family, or possibly from Coxa Cabaliy a frag- 
ment of the statue of a horse that may have been found 
here. Beyond the piazza is the Palazzo d' Conver- 
tendi, (2) where Raphael died, on Good Friday, 1520, at 
the early age of thirty-seven. As the body lay in state, 
with the unfinished painting of the Transfiguration at the 
head of the bed, Leo X came to offer some prayers for 
his soul, and, it is said, that he shed tears as he kissed the 
hand now cold in death, that had given being to so many 
glorious creations of Christian art. 

In the piazza Scossa Cavalli is the church of 5. Giacomo, 
where two stones are shown, said to have been brought by 
St. Helena from Jerusalem. According to a legend, which 
Marucchi quahfies as ''inadmissible," the Holy Child was 
placed on one of these stones at the Presentation in the 
temple. 



(1) See a Lapide in Matt, xxvii. 26. 

(2) Others say he died in a house now destroyed in Piazza ^usti- 
cucci, in front of St. Peter's. 



46 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

32. — CASTEL S. ANGELO — MAUSOLEUM OF HADRIAN. 

At the close of the great procession of penance, ordered 
by St. Gregory the Great, during the pestilence of 590, 
tradition asserts that the Archangel Michael appeared 
over the mole of Hadrian, sheathing a sword, which an- 
nounced the cessation of the plague. On the present 
castle of St. Angelo the figure of an angel sheathing a 
sword commemorates the event. (1) 

Boniface IV (608-615) opened a shrine here in honor of 
St. Michael, which was known as '* S. Michael inter 
nubes." It was replaced afterwards by the figure of an 
angel. 

There is a legend that, during the pestilence of 1348, as 
the panic-stricken people were carrying the image of our 
Lady from Ara Coeli to St. Peter's, thirty witnesses testi- 
fied that they saw the angel on the monument bow in rev- 
erence to the Queen of Heaven. 

In 1378, the castle was stormed by the people and the 
angel destroyed. 

Nicholas V (1447-55) replaced it by a new image, which 
was shattered by the explosion of the powder magazine, 
in 1497. The shock was so violent that pieces of the 
statue were found beyond St. Mary Major, a distance of 
one and a half miles. 

Alexander VI (1492-1503) set up a statue for the third 
time, which was stolen by the Lutheran hordes of Charles 
V, in 1527, for the sake of its heavy gilding. A marble 
statue was then set up, and remained till the time of Bene- 
dict XIV (1740-58). This Pope erected a fifth figure, 
which still rem.ains.(2) 

In the tenth century the Crescentii (Cenci) held Castel 
S. Angelo as a stronghold. Under the shelter of its mas- 
sive ramparts they were abk to dictate the law to the 
Pope and commit bloodshed and sacrilege with impunity. 
In 928, they seized and cast Pope John X into prison, where 
he was either murdered or he died broken-hearted. In 



(1) Abbot Snow. St Gregory the Great, p. 65. 

(2) Lanciani. Christian a7id Pagan ^ome, p. 228. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 47 

974, they imprisoned and murdered Pope Benedict VI and 
set up as Pope a deacon named Franco, who took the title 
of Boniface VII. The people rose in rebellion, stormed 
the castle, deposed the usurper and elected Benedict 
VII. (1) (n. 144.) 

In 1084, during the siege of Rome by Henry IV of Ger- 
many, Pope St. Gregory VII (Hildebrand) took refuge in 
Castel S. Angelo. Robert Guiscard, with his Normans, 
came to his rescue, took Rome by storm and delivered the 
Pope, who left Rome and died at Salerno, in 1085. 

At the suppression of the Society of Jesus by Clement 
XIV, in 1773, the General, Very Rev. Father Laurence 
Ricci, and his five assistants were imprisoned in Castel S. 
Angelo, where Father Ricci died, on November 24, 1775, 
after solemnly protesting his innocence and that of the 
Society in presence of the Blessed Sacrament. By order 
of Pope Pius VI his remains were interred with great 
solemnity in the Gesu. 

33.— PONTE S. ANGELO— CATASTROPHE AT THE JUBILEE 
OF 1450— ST. PHILIP NERI AND ST. FELIX. 

The bridge was built by the Emperor Hadrian to con- 
nect his mausoleum with the city, in A. D. 136, and named 
atter him. Pons ^lius. The statues of SS. Peter and Paul, 
at the south end of the bridge, were erected by Clement VII 
on the site of two chapels, which were a memorial of a 
terrible occurrence that took place here in the Jubilee of 
1450. A dense crowd of pilgrims was crossing the bridge, 
when some horses and mules took fright and a block en- 
sued. Many pilgrims were pushed down and trampled 
under foot, many, too, fell into the Tiber. One hundred 
and twenty-eight bodies were carried to the Campo Santo 
near St. Peter's, others were brought to S. Maria Sopra 
Minerva, or buried in S. Celso. The two memorial 
chapels were erected at the entrance of the bridge to com- 
memorate the sad event, and mass was said daily in them 



(1) His tomb is in Santa Croce, and the events here mentioned are 
alluded to in the epitaph. 



48 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

for the souls of the victims. (1) As these chapels were 
used by the Lutherans (1527) and others as cover to fire 
from at Castel S. Angelo, Clement VII had them de- 
stroyed and replaced by the statues of the two Apostles. 
The statues of the angels holding instruments of the Pas- 
sion v^ere designed by Bernini. 

In the life of St. Philip Neri, it is related, that one day he 
here met St. FeUx of Cantalice, the capuchin, who was 
carrying a bag filled with scraps of food and a flask of 
wine, alms which he had received for his monastery. St. 
Philip playfully asked the holy Friar to give him a drink, 
pretending to be thirsty, and put his lips to the wine-flask 
to the amazement of the passers-by, who scorned him for 
his levity, the very result St. Philip's humility desired. 

34.— HORRIBLE OUTRAGE ON PONTE S. ANGELO AT 
THE FUNERAL OF POPE PIUS IX. 

At midnight, July 12 (13), 1881, the mortal remains of 
Pius IX were transferred without pomp or ceremony in a 
simple hearse, followed by three mourning coaches, to St. 
Lorenzo outside the walls. The Prefect of the city had 
recommended that the funeral should be at midnight, and 
it was understood that he and his police would be there to 
prevent any disorder on the part of the enemies of the 
Papacy. Alongside the hearse and behind the coaches 
followed several thousand persons on foot with lighted 
candles reciting the Rosary and other prayers. 

On reaching the Ponte S. Angelo the funeral cortege 
was suddenly and savagely attacked by some three or four 
hundred ruffians, Freemasons, Garibaldians, and other 
apostates, with the avowed object of seizing the body and 
casting it into the Tiber. The Catholic young men, who 
were following in the procession, quickly closed around 
the hearse, resolved to defend it at the cost of their lives. 
A sharp struggle ensued, and many were severely 
wounded, but the Catholics succeeded in beating off their 



(1) Thurston, S.J. Holy Year of Jubilee, p. 69-70. 



K 




ST. PETER'S CHAIR. 16 . 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME* 49 

savage assailants, and the procession moved on its course. 
The whole Catholic world was shocked at the news of this 
sacrilegious outrage, and ever since that time it has been 
considered unsafe for the Holy Father to set foot outside 
the Vatican. 

35. — INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF ST. FRANCES OF 
ROME, NEAR PONTE S. ANGELO. 

As St. Frances and her friend Vannozza were returning 
from St. Peter's, one hot day in July, both suffering from 
thirst, they approached the river-brink and holding each 
other by the hand tried to reach the water to cool their 
burning lips. As they bent over the stream a violent 
blow from an evil spirit hurled them both into the water. 
They were carried some distance by the current and 
seemed lost, but calling God's aid, they were miraculously 
carried to the shore near a church of St. Leonard, which 
no longer exists. 

In the Via dei Banchi near Ponte S. Angelo is the 
church of 6'5. Celso e GuilianOy where one of St. Ignatius' 
first companions, Father Bobadilla, preached a Lenten 
course in 1538. Near it was a market or show-ground 
frequented by roughs and mountebanks {at Banchi) ^ where 
the Saint sent the Novices and young Scholastics to cate- 
chize and preach in the open air to the people. 

Z6. — S. SALVATORE IN LAURO — S. ANTONIO DEI POR- 
TOGHESI — S. MARIA IN CAMPO MARZIO. 

After crossing Ponte S. Angelo, we may take the elec- 
tric car which goes to the Piazza di Venezia, or, if we 
prefer to walk, there is a short road to Piazza Colonna by 
the Via Tordinona (below the Tiber embankment wall, 
past a row of bric-a-brac shops kept chiefly by Jews) and 
the Via deW Orso. 

A narrow street on the right of Via Tordinona leads to 
the large church of wS. Salvatore in Lattro, built by Cardi- 
nal Orsini in 1450. Here Fr. James Lainez, one of the 
first companions of St. Ignatius and the second General 



50 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

of the Society of Jesus, preached a Lenten course in 
1538. In a side chapel opening out of the cloister is the 
richly sculptured tomb of Pope Eugenius IV (d. 1447), 
in whose pontificate was held the Council of Florence for 
the reunion of the Greeks. The tomb is a cenotaph, as 
he was buried in St. Peter's. 

In the Via dell' Orso is the church of 5. Antonio dei 
Portoghesi, erected by the Portuguese in the fifteenth cen- 
tury in honor of St. Antony of Padua (a native of Portu- 
gal), with a hospice attached to it for their compatriots. 
It is very rich in marbles, intended originally for the 
church of S. Ignazio, but presented by Clement XIV to 
this church on the suppression of the Society of Jesus in 
1773. The costly marbles at S. Luigi dei Francesi are 
also said to have come from S. Ignazio. 

Near the church entrance is a mediaeval tower called 
Torre della Scimia, " Monkey tower," where a man once 
lived who had a favorite ape. "One day this creature 
seized upon a baby, and rushing to the summit of the 
tower, was seen from below by the agonized parents, 
perched upon the battlements and balancing their child to 
and fro over the abyss. They made a vow in their ter- 
ror, that if the baby were restored in safety, they would 
make provision that a lamp should burn nightly forever 
before an image of the Blessed Virgin on the summit. 
The monkey, without relaxing its hold of the infant, slid 
down the walls, and, bounding and grimacing, laid the 
child at its mother's feet. Thus a lamp always burns 
upon the battlements before an image of the Madonna." 
(Aug. Hare.) 

Crossing the Via della Scrofa, on the right of which we 
notice the large Augustinian monastery appropriated by 
the government as offices for the Admiralty, we reach the 
church of 5. Maria in Campo Marzio, belonging to a con- 
vent of Benedictine nuns. Here may be seen a remark- 
able picture of St. John Berchmans, greatly venerated by 
the community, who tell the story of a miraculous cure of 
one of the nuns by this Saint in the eighteenth century. She 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 51 

had a picture of him (1) in her cell very rudely painted, 
and in her simplicity she asked the young saint whether 
it was like him or not. He is said to have retouched the 
painting in answer to her prayer and left the very beauti- 
ful and striking portrait we see at present. 

Till 1564, a church dedicated to St. Gregory Nazianzen, 
and served by Basilian monks, occupied this site, where 
the body of the titular Saint had lain enshrined since the 
eighth century : but Gregory the XIII, translated the 
body to St. Peter's and rebuilt the church as we see it at 
present. 

?tT, — MONTE CITORIO, ITALIAN PARLIAMENT — ANTO- 
NINE PILLAR, THE THUNDERING LEGION. 

The street to the left, as we enter the Piazza di Monte 
Citorio, has a fine church dedicated to the Most Holy 
Trinity, belonging to the Lazarist Fathers, whose relig- 
ious home has been appropriated by the government and 
converted into a girls' school. The church is not seen 
from the street, and it is necessary to pass through a cor- 
ridor to reach it. 

The Palace of Monte Citorio, erected by Bernini, has 
been used since the Italian occupation of Rome as the 
Camera dei Deputati, or Parliament House of United 
Italy (2). 

The splendid Column of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, in 
the Visizza. Colonna, with a series of bas-reliefs winding 
round the shaft, commemorating the Emperor's exploits 
in Germany and his victories over the Marcomanni, has a 
special interest for Catholics because of the representa- 
tion of Jupiter Pluvius, i. e., of the god sending rain to 
the army. This refers to a prodigy obtained by the 
prayers of Christian soldiers. The Emperor conducted 



(1) He was only Venerable then. His Beatification took place 
in 1865. 

(2) Pius IX's severe comments on the Italian Government's con- 
cessions to the Holy See, as contained in the so-called Laws of 
Guarantees, will be found in his allocution of March 2, 1871. 



52 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the campaign in person, with a skill and valor that drew 
upon him general admiration. However, after many vic- 
tories, he suffered himself and his troops to be entangled 
in narrow defiles amidst the mountains of Bohemia, 
where, being surrounded on all sides by the enemy, they 
were on the point of perishing with heat and thirst. In 
this extremity, the soldiers of the twelfth legion, all 
Christians, betook themselves to prayer, and presently 
the clouds gathered and an abundant rain fell, which 
refreshed the Romans : whereas, hail, thunder and light- 
ning spread confusion among the barbarians, and enabled 
Marcus Aurelius to gain a complete victory (a. d. 174). 
On this occasion the name of Thundering was given, or con- 
firmed to the twelfth legion. This prodigy, which pagan 
writers (1) themselves relate, and which is seen engraved 
on the Antonine pillar, stopped for a time the persecution 
that the Christians were then suffering. (2) 

(1) Dion Cassius, Capitolinus, Claudian, etc., see Tillemont, vol. 
2, p. 370. 

(2) Fredet. Modern History. '* Marcus Aurelius." 



CHAPTER III. 
To St. John Lateran and the Holy Places on 

THE CCELIAN. 

38. — ST. JOHN LATERAN (1) — THE MOTHER AND HEAD 
OF ALL CHURCHES. 

On reaching the Eternal City the visitor first directs his 
steps to St. Peter's, and feels that he has at length 
reached the goal of his pilgrimage when kneeling before 
the Apostle's tomb beneath Michael Angelo's wonderful 
dome. On leaving the basilica he is surprised to learn 
that St. Peter's, with all its stateliness, is not the most 
important of the churches in Rome, that St. John Lateran, 
the Pope's Cathedral, ranks first in dignity among all the 
churches of the Eternal City and of the world. Its 
chapter takes precedence over that of St. Peter's, and 
every Pope, when elected, comes here to be crowned and 
to be solemnly enthroned as the successor of St. Peter (2). 
The inscription on the facade proclaims it to be, ** The 
Mother and Head of all the churches in the city and in 
the world." In one of the corridors leading to the sacristy 
is a marble tablet with the Bull of Pope Gregory XI 
inscribed on it, recording the foundation of the basilica 
by Constantine, and describing it as the first and chief of 
all the churches in Urbe et Orbe. 

Popes Paschal II, Callixtus II, Honorius II, Innocent 
II, and others, speak of it in their Bulls as the *' Mother, 
Head and Queen of all the churches." 

The Lateran is the Pope's Cathedral, as Bishop of 
Rome. Here, till September, 1870, he officiated on the 

(1) There is an electric car, from the Piazza di Venezia to the 
Lateran, about every ten minutes. 

(2) This has been impossible since the Italian usurpation of Rome 
in 1870. 



54 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

first Sunday in Lent, on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thurs- 
day, Holy Saturday, Easter Monday, Whit Sunday, the 
feasts of St. John Baptist, the Exaltation of the Cross, 
the dedication of the basilica and the anniversary of his 
election. 

These solemn services he can no longer perform. 
" The Holy Father, confined within the precincts of his 
palace, a prisoner for twenty-one years, has never quitted 
the Vatican, has never felt free to visit the Church, 
which, as Bishop of Rome, is peculiarly is own — the 
Lateran Basilica of Constantine." — {^London Daily Tele- 
graph, Aug. 21, 1899.) 

From the loggia, over the entrance facing Santa Croce, 
the Holy Father used to give his solemn blessing to the 
people every feast of the Ascension. 

39. — constantine' s gift of the lateran palace to 

THE POPE. 

The palace belonged originally to a rich patrician fam- 
ily named Laterani, and the place still preserves their 
name. Plautius Lateranus, head of the family, was put 
to death by Nero, in A. D. 67, for alleged complicity in 
tlie conspiracy of Piso, but in reality that the Emperor 
might confiscate his estate. (1) It then became an im- 
perial residence. At the beginning of the fourth century 
it was the property of Fausta, daughter of the Emperor 
Maximian and wife of Constantine. 

In A. D. 312, Constantine won his celebrated victory 
over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge. While advancing 
into Italy against his rival, Constantine and his whole 
army saw the vision of a luminous cross, just over the sun, 
with the inscription '^ In this conquer ^ (Eusebius, Life of 
Constant, y Bk. i, c. 27, 28.) The cross was the sign or symbol 
that was to marshal his hosts to victory. He caused a 
representation of it to be made and carried as a standard, 
known as the Labarum, before the army, and under this 
standard he inflicted a crushing defeat on Maxentius and 

(1) Tacitus gives a graphic account of the stern and dignified 
manner in which Lateranus met his death. (Annal. xv., 60.) 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 55 

his forces near the Milvian Bridge (1) on October 12th, 
Maxentius perishing in the fray. Entering Rome in tri- 
umph Constantine chose the Lateran palace for his royal 
dwelling, and proceeded to annul the penal laws against 
the Christians, openly professing his faith in Christianity, 
though he was not baptized till a little before his death. 

The Church, after a persecution of some 300 years, was 
now free to emerge from the catacombs, and one of the 
first acts of Constantine, in gratitude for his success, was 
to present the Lateran Palace to Pope St. Melchiades, to 
be used as a Papal residence. On October 2, 313, Pope 
Melchiades here presided at the first council assembled 
against the Donatists. On the death of St. Melchiades, 
the Emperor confirmed his gift to Pope St. Sylvester, 
in 314. 

Some years later, the Emperor was persuaded by the 
Senate to tolerate the pagan worship. Thereupon, profit- 
ing by his absence in the East, on a campaign against 
Licinus, the senators and other pagans in the city assumed 
a threatening attitude, and a massacre of the Christians 
was feared. Pope St. Sylvester fled to Mount Soracte for 
safety. The legend has it, that the Emperor in punish- 
ment for this toleration of paganism, was stricken with 
leprosy, and his court physicians (pagans) prescribed a 
barbarous and inhuman remedy ; but one night, as he lay 
asleep, he was warned by SS. Peter and Paul to send for 
Pope Sylvester, hiding on Mount Soracte, and to seek 
baptism at his hands as the only cure for his distemper. (2) 

These events, which are said to have happened in 323, 
are represented in the frescoes of the transept of the 
basilica. 

40. — EMANCIPATION OF CHRISTIANITY — CONSTANTINE 
BUILDS THE LATERAN BASILICA. 

On his recovery, Constantine called together the senators 
and patricians of R.ome in the Basilica Ulpia (a portion of 
the ruins of which may still be seen in the Forum of 



(1) Ponte Molle, outside the present Porto del Popolo. 

(2) This story is no longer accepted, and has been corrected in the 
Roman Breviary, Dec. 31. 



56 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Trajan), and after explaining his reasons for embracing 
Christianity, exhorted them to follow his example. The 
Christians were to be free henceforth, to open churches 
and practise their religion publicly, and their priests were 
to enjoy the privileges previously granted to the pagan 
priests. This announcement was listened to by the sena- 
tors in sullen silence, but the Christians present greeted 
his words with shouts of acclamation, which were taken 
up by the people outside, and Constantine was accom- 
panied to his palace by immense crowds bearing lighted 
torches. (Baronius Anna/, 324, n. 81. Gerbet, Ifome 
Chretienne, vol. I, p. 266.) 

The year 324 marks the downfall of idolatry in Rome 
and the triumph of Christianity, though paganism was 
revived for a time by Julian the Apostate, and efforts were 
made by Vettius Proetextatus and others to keep it alive 
up to A. D. 390. (Grisar, S.J. / Papi del Medio Evo. 
vol. I, page 21, seg.) 

Constantine began at once to erect a Christian basilica 
in one part of the Lateran palace, assisting in the work, 
it is said, with his own hands. It was consecrated by 
Pope St. Sylvester on November 9, 324. Tradition asserts 
that on the day of consecration God signified His accept- 
ance of this, the first publicly consecrated church in 
Rome, by a miraculous event. In the vault of the apse 
there suddenly appeared an image of the Divine Counte- 
nance of the Redeemer, and the words of salutation were 
heard ^^ Pax vobis !'' (Roman Brev., Nov. 9th. Thurston, 
Holy Year, p. 178.) 

St. Sylvester dedicated the church in honor of Our 
Blessed Saviour, whence it is known as Basilica Salvato- 
ris. Its other names are — Lateran Basilica, Basilica of 
Constantine, St. John Lateran, from its being also dedi- 
cated to St. John the Baptist, by Sergius III. Later still, 
St. John the Evangelist was made tutelary patron with 
St. John the Baptist. 

41.— IMPERIAL ENDOWMENT OF THE BASILICA. 

In the Liber Pontificalis (seventh century) is preserved 
an authentic inventory of the rich endowment — both in 




THE BAPTISTEKY OF CONSTANTINE. 50. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 57 

revenues, in landed property and in gold and silver ves- 
sels left by Constantine to this, the principal church in 
the city. 

The annual revenues to be divided between St. Peter's, 
St. Paul's, the Lateran and St. Laurence amounted to 
13,000 pounds sterling (65,000 dollars), i. e., about 60,000 
or 70,000 pounds (300,000 or 350,000 dollars) of our 
money. (Alban Butler, Nov. 18.) 

Of his other presents, we may mention a silver canopy 
for the high altar, weighing 2,025 lbs. ; a silver statue of 
our Saviour, five feet high, weighing 140 lbs. ; another 
silver statue of our Saviour, weighing 120 lbs. ; four silver 
statues of Angels, each weighing 105 lbs. ; silver statues of 
the Apostles, each 90 lbs. ; a golden tabernacle of 50 lbs. 
weight ; seven altars of silver ; forty-five silver lamps ; 
besides gold candelabra, thuribles, chalices, etc. 

So rich and splendid was the interior that it was com- 
monly spoken of as the Basilica Aurea, "■ The Golden 
Basilica." Early mediaeval writers dilate on the splendor 
and brilliancy of the interior on festivals, when the whole 
basilica seemed a mass of light gleaming on polished 
pillar, gilded roof and ornaments of gold and silver. (1) 

Prudentius (contra Symmachum, lib. i, 579,) speaks of 
the faithful flocking to the Lateran to receive the royal 
unction, i. e., the Sacrament of Confirmation. 

St, Jerome (Epist. xxx, alias Ixxvii,) speaks of Fabiola, 
one of the most illustrious ladies of Rome, doing public 
penance for her fault (2) (errorem) in sight of ail K.ome, 
standing the whole of Holy Saturday among the penitents 
in the atrium of the Lateran, clad in sackcloth, with ashes 



(1) Two writers of the fifth century, SS. Jerome and Prudentius, 
refer to this basilica of Constantine. 

(2) To repair the scandal she had given by her second marriage, 
A. D. 390; she had repudiated her dissolute husband and availed 
herself of the right the ^oman law gave her to marry another. After 
her conversion she became a model of Christian virtue, renounced 
the world, served the poor in the hospitals, practiced great austerity, 
and went to live as a religious in Palestine. Grisar. S.J. J Papi 
del Medio Evo /, p. SO. 



58 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

sprinkled on her head, a sight that moved bishop, priests 
and people to tears. 

42.— VICISSITUDES OF THE BASILICA. 

In A. D. 324, it was first erected by Constantine. 

In the fifth century, it suffered so much injury from 
Genseric and his vandals, that it had to be restored by St. 
Leo the Great. 

In the eighth century, Hadrian I (771-795) repaired with 
great splendor the ravages which time had made. 

In 894 the fabric was nearly destroyed by an earth- 
quake. 

In 904 it was completely rebuilt by Sergius III, and 
dedicated to St. John the Baptist. 

This is the building Dante saw and describes (Paradise 
canto xxxi, 11, 34-36), where he says, that ** the barbarians 
from the North stood in mute wonder mid the works of 
I^ome, when to their view the Lateran arose in greatness 
more than earthly." 

In 1276-77 it was restored by Adrian V and Nicholas 
III. The mosaics of the apse are of this period. 

In 1308, three years after the transference of the Papal 
Court to Avignon by Clement V, the Sergian basilica was 
almost totally destroyed by fire, as well as the Lateran 
palace. The only parts that escaped were the apse, one 
or two chapels, and the chapel known as Sancta Sanctorum. 

The fire seems to have been caused by the negligence 
of some plumbers who were repairing the roof. (A simi- 
lar carelessness is responsible for the destruction of St. 
Paul's, outside the walls in 1823.) For three days the fire 
raged with unabated fury, during which time the miracu- 
lous head of St. Pancratius, the boy-martyr (preserved in 
the basilica), is said to have dripped with blood. The 
people regarded this calamity as a visitation from heaven 
for the removal of the Papal Court from Rome to Avig- 
non, and religious processions defiled through the streets 
to appease the Divine wrath. Pope Clement V sent 
skilled architects from Avignon with immense sums of 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 59 

money to restore the basilica. The restoration begun by 
him was completed by his successor John XXII. 

In 1360 it was again burnt down. 

From 1360 to 1364, it lay in utter ruin, and its desolation 
evoked the pathetic laments of Petrarch in his letters to 
Urban V. 

In 1364, and the six following years, it was once more 
rebuilt by Urban V and its walls were preserved by Giotto 
and Gentile da Fabriano. The magnificent Gothic canopy 
over the high altar, the work of Arnolfo del Cambio, is of 
this period. (1) 

In the fifteenth century some restorations were made by 
Martin V and Eugenius IV. 

Sixtus V (1585-1590) built the present north entrance to 
the basilica with its loggia, erected the obelisk in the 
piazza and cleared the piazza of debris. He also rebuilt 
the Lateran palace and transferred the Scala Santa (2) to 
its present site. 

In 1650 the basihca was painfully modernized by Bor- 
romini. The present eastern facade, looking towards 
Santa Croce, was erected from the designs of Galilei, in 
1734. 

In 1895-96, the tribune was enlarged and splendidly re- 
stored by Leo XIII at a cost of some 180,000 pounds 
sterling. The Holy Father has never had an opportunity 
of seeing the work on which he has spent so large a sum. 



(1) For a description of the ancient Basilica, see Marucchi '' Les 
Basiliques de ^ome.^^ 

(2) " The eastern fagade of the church at that period still main- 
tained its original type, with three arched windows, such as may be 
seen at Sta. Maria in Trastevere. It was decorated with mosaics, 
the centre being a figure of Christ, and below the four prophets 
with other figures. On the walls of the nave the principal events of 
both the Old and New Testaments were set forth for the instruction 
of the faithful. This was the common practice in earlier ages when 
the walls of the church were the book from which the unlettered 
could read and learn the sacred story. A large portico with six col- 
umns stood in front of the building with a fountain in the centre." 
Thurston, Holy Year, p. 174. 



60 PILGRIM-WALKS IX KOMK. 

43.— EXTERIOR OF THE BASILICA. 

The east front presents a noble appearance as seen from 
the road leading from Santa Croce. The view from the 
porch, embracing the ancient walls of Aurelian, the Cam- 
pagna, with its long lines of aqueducts, the Alban and 
Sabine hills dotted with white villages, is very beautiful. 
The large, open space, between the Lateran and Santa 
Croce, was formerly the Pope's gardens, and here St. 
Francis of Assisi is said to have had his first interview 
with Honorius III. The hideous blocks of modern houses 
on the left are an eyesore and spoil the view. The apse of 
the triclinium of St. Leo III, seen on the left, is a modem 
copy of one of the three apses of the great dining hall of 
the Papal palace. Part of the mosaic work is probably 
ancient. (Marucchi. Basiliques, etc., p. 105.) 

From the loggia above the porch, the Holy Father used 
to give his blessing with great solemnity to the people on 
the Feast of the Ascension, as stated above ; this is no 
longer possible since 1870. 

The great bronze doors of the central entrance were 
brought from S. Adriano in the Forum by Alexander 
VII (1655-1667) ; they are said to have belonged to the 
ancient Basilica Emilia. In the porch is a bronze statue 
of Henry IV of France, the French kings being the spir- 
itual protectors and ex-officio canons of the basilica. 

Over the northern fagade of the basilica are two quaint 
towers, relics of the tenth century edifice. The loggia 
and porch at this entrance have already been referred to 
as the work of Sixtus V. 

44. — INTERIOR OF THE BASILICA. 

It consists of a broad nave, with a rich mosaic pave- 
ment, four side aisles, a spacious transept and a noble 
tribune or sanctuary. 

Behind the first pillar of the inner right aisle is a famous 
fresco by Giotto, representing Boniface VIII proclaiming 
the first jubilee, in 1300. It is supposed to be a fragment 
of a larger fresco destroyed. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 61 

(a) Nave. — It is of grand proportions and impressive 
appearance, but unfortunately spoiled by Borromini, who 
encased his ancient columns (except two near the sanc- 
tuary) in cumbrous piers of brick and plaster. The colos- 
sal statues of the Apostles are of the Bernini school. The 
mosaic pavement was the work of Martin V (1417-1431), 
whose monument in bronze may be seen in the confession 
in front of the high altar. The carved ceiling, said to 
have been designed by Michael Angelo or Giacomo della 
Porta, is richly gilt. 

(d) I^ight Transept. — In a comer to the right is the 
Turkish standard taken by John Sobieski, at the battle of 
Vienna, in 1673, on which occasion the Turks lost 28,000 
men. 

The two splendid columns of giallo antico, flanking the 
nothern entrance, are supposed to have belonged to the 
imperial palace of Constantine, given by him to Pope St. 
Melchiades. 

Over the door, to the, right of the sanctuary, is the 
tomb of Innocent III (1198-1216), restored by Leo XIII. 

The frescoes in the transept, by Roncalli, Nogari and 
Ciampelli, represent the events from the life of Constan- 
tine, mentioned above. 

(c) The High Altar and Tribune. — The High Altar, a 
Papal one, at which the Pope alone may say Mass, has a 
splendid Gothic canopy made by Arnolfo del Cambio for 
Urban V, about 1366. The altar encloses one of I^ome's 
most precious relics, viz., the wooden portable altar used 
by St. Peter in the house of Pudens, and by the first 
popes in the catacombs, (n. 45). Above the altar are pre- 
served the Heads of SS. Peter and Paul, enshrined in 
silver gilt busts, (n. 45). 

The restoration and enlargement of the Tribune, or 
choir, are Leo XIII's great work. The mosaics of the 
apse are the joint work of two celebrated Franciscan 
artists, Fra Jacopo Torriti and Fra Jacopo da Camerino, 
made for Nicholas IV, a Franciscan, about 1280. At the 
dedication of the church by St. Sylvester, in 324, a mirac- 
ulous figure of our Lord is said to have appeared in the 



62 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

upper part of the apse. The present mosaic figure dates, 
according to De Rossi, from the fourth or fifth cen- 
tury. (1) 

The confession in front of the high altar contains the 
bronze tomb of Martin V (1417-1424), whose election at 
the Council of Constance put an end to the Great Western 
Schism. It is the work of Simeone, brother of Donatello. 

(d) Left Transept. — The altar of the Blessed Sacrament 
at the end of the transept is richly adorned with marbles 
and bronzes. The four superb Corinthian columns of gilt 
bronze are said to have belonged to the palace of Con- 
stantine. One tradition asserts that they were brought 
from Jerusalem by Titus. 

Above the altar is preserved the Sacred Table of the 
Last Supper, on which our Divine Lord instituted the 
Blessed Sacrament. The fresco of the Ascension on the 
wall above is by d'Arpino. 

{e) The Corsini Chapel. — It is the first in the left aisle 
and the richest in the basilica. On the left side is a 
splendid urn of porphyry, that once stood at the entrance 
of the Pantheon. It encloses the remains of Clement XII. 
(Corsini, 1730-1740.) 

45. — GREATER RELICS. 

1. The Holy Table of the Last Supper , preserved above 
the altar of the Blessed Sacrament, (n. 44). 

2. The Heads of the Apostles SS. Peter and Paul, pre- 
served above the high altar, according to the Roman tra- 
dition. It is thought that they were removed from the 
Apostles' tombs by Sergius II just before the invasion of 
Rome by the Saracens, in 846. After a time they disap- 
peared and were lost (probably hidden during some inva- 
sion or popular insurrection, the secret being confided to 
only a few, at whose death the memory of the hiding-place 
came to be lost), and were found again in 1367 by Urban 
V in the oratory Sancta Sanctorum. They were solemnly 

(1) Brev. I^oman. Nov. 9, Lect. V. Marucchi. Basiliques 
etc., p. 90. 



PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 63 

exposed to the veneration of the faithful on March 1, 
1368, and translated to the present shrine in 1370. (1) 
Urban V enclosed them in silver busts adorned with 
jewels. At the beginning of the nineteenth century these 
silver busts were stolen by the French and have since 
been replaced by others, said to be of pure gold, the gift 
of the Duchess of Villa Hermosa, who also, in 1830, gave 
the splendid silver reliquary of the Holy Manger at St. 
Mary Major. 

3. The wooden portable altar on which St. Peter said his 
daily Mass (see n. 44, c). It is preserved under the high 
altar, and was saved at great risk of life from the con- 
flagration of 1308. (2) 

4. The miraculous head of the boy-martyr, St. Pancra- 
tiuSy mentioned above as having dripped with blood dur- 
ing the same conflagration. 

5. The bodies of SS. Chrysanthus and Dariaand many 
other precious relics. 

46.— TOMBS OF THE POPES. 

Popes Leo V, Sergius III, Lucius II, Pascal II, Callix- 
tus II, Honorius II, Celestine II, Innocent II, Innocent 
III and others, were buried in the Lateran. The monu- 
ments of the earlier Popes perished in the great fire of 
1308 ; that of Innocent III has been beautifully restored 
by Leo XIII and may be seen above the door near the 
sanctuary. 

It is said that Leo XIII has expressed a wish to be in- 
terred in the Lateran. 

Clement XIFs monument is in the Corsini chapel. 

During some works at the foundation in 1648, a marble 
sarcophagus was found with the body of Pope Sylvester 
II (999-1003), perfectly preserved, the arms being crossed 
on the breast. The pontifical vestments were almost in- 



(1) St. Bridget of Sweden was present at this exposition and 
translation. See her life by J M. Partridge, p. 206. 

(2) No one ever offers the Adorable Sacrifice over that precious 
relic but the Pope himself. 



64 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

tact ; but on exposure to the air all crumbled into dust, 
the ring and silver pectoral cross alone remaining. 

There is a silly legend that the bones of this Pope were 
formerly heard to stir in the vault, when the reigning 
pontiff was nearing his end. (See n. 144.) 

47. — GIFTS OF POPES AND PRINCES. 

A long catalogue might be compiled of the gold and 
silver vessels, crosses, statues, candelabra, and of the 
richly embroidered vestments presented by popes, kings 
and princes. 

The silver canopy over the high altar, presented by 
Constantine, having been stolen by the Goths, the Em- 
peror Valentinian replaced it by another weighing 1,550 
pounds. 

Among the imperial benefactors of the basilica may be 
mentioned Theodosius the Great, Arcadius, Honorius, 
Theodosius II, Marcianus, Justinus and Justinian. 

Charlemagne presented an altar with silver columns, a 
copy of the Gospel, bound with plates of gold, enriched 
with jewels, and a large gold cross sparkling with gems. 

48.— SAINTS AT THE LATERAN. 

St. Gregory the Great (590-604) lived at the Lateran 
after his elevation to St. Peter's Chair. Here he wrote 
his homilies and composed his famous antiphonary, 
thought by some to have been dictated by angels. Here 
he presided at the lessons of the choristers, who were 
being taught the Gregorian chant. From this spot he 
guided the destinies of the Church during the storms and 
troubles occasioned by the pretensions of the Greeks and 
the invasions of the Lombards. 

St. Martin I (649-655) was here arrested by Calliopas, 
at the command of the Emperor Constans and dragged 
to Constantinople, where he was brutally treated by the 
Greek patriarch Paul, and by the populace ; finally, he was 
exiled to Chersonesus, (Crimea) where he died a martyr. 

St. Gregory // {715-731) here received Winfrid, of Eng- 
land, (St. Boniface) and sent him on his apostolic mission 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. Q5 

to Thuringia and Germany. St. Boniface received epis- 
copal consecration from St. Gregory II, probably in the 
Lateran. 

St. Gregory III (751-741) here boldly resisted the im- 
pious Emperor Leo, the Isaurian, and held a council in 
which he condemned the heresy of the Iconoclasts. 

St. Nilus, who died at Grotta Ferrata, near Frascati, 
in 1005, came to the Lateran at the end of the tenth cen- 
tury to plead for Philagetes, the antipope, his former 
friend, who was in prison and subjected to great cruelty 
by the Emperor Otho III. 

St. Gregory J/// '' Hildebrand" (1073-1085) here fought 
for the liberties of the Church and resisted the impious 
pretensions of Henry IV, of Germany. 

St. Francis of Assisi came to the Lateran in 1210, to 
request Innocent Ill's confirmation of the order of Friars 
Minor. The Pope received him coldly ; but warned by a 
vision, in which the poor man of Assisi was seen to be 
upholding the Lateran basilica, that seemed to be totter- 
ing, he sent messengers in search of Francis, who was 
found in the hospital of St. Antonio, near St. Mary Major, 
and approved the new order orally vivce vocis oraculo. The 
rule was confirmed by a bull of Honorius III, in 1216. 

St. Dominic came to the Lateran in 1215, to seek a simi- 
lar favor from Innocent III, for his Friars Preachers. A 
dream or vision, like to the one just related, decided the 
Pope to give his verbal approbation. The formal con- 
firmation by Honorius III followed later. 

During his stay in K.ome (1215), St. Dominic first met 
St. Francis in the Lateran. Kneeling one night in prayer 
in the basilica, (1) Dominic saw in vision our Divine Lord, 
holding three arrows, about to strike the world because of 
its enormous wickedness. Then the Blessed Virgin was 
seen to prostrate herself before Him and to present two 
men to Him whose zeal should convert sinners and appease 
His outraged justice. One of these the Saint recognized 



(1) The Lateran was then open night and day, as it had the privi- 
lege of ** sanctuary." 



66 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

as himself ; the other was unknown to him. Next morn- 
ing he met Francis in the Lateran, and recognizing him 
as the stranger of his vision, ran to embrace him. 

In a sermon preached in the Lateran in the same year, 
1215, at which St. Dominic and St. Francis were present, 
St. Angelus the Carmelite spoke prophetically of the two 
holy founders, predicting their future greatness and the 
extension of their orders. 

St. John of Matha and St. Felix de Valois, in the twelfth 
century, came to the Lateran to obtain the confirmation 
of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity for the ransom of 
captives. Innocent III received them like two angels 
from heaven, and lodged them in his own palace. While 
deliberating on their proposal to found a new order, he 
saw in vision during Mass an angel in a white robe, with 
a red and blue cross on his breast, who seemed to be 
loosening the chains of two captives. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola said Mass at the Lateran, in the 
chapel of the Relics, with ecstatic fervor and abundance 
of tears. 

St. Aloysius Gonzaga here received Minor Orders in 
March, 1588. 

St. Frances of I^ome, St. Philip Neri and other great 
saints came frequently to pray at the Lateran. 

49.— GENERAL COUNCILS IN THE LATERAN. 

Five oecumenical councils have held their sittings in the 
Lateran, viz. : First Lateran Council in 1123; second in 
1139 ; third in 1179 ; fourth in 1215 ; fifth in 1512. 

Of these the third and fourth were momentous assem- 
blies which produced a profound impression upon the 
Christian world by their measures of internal reform and 
by the increased definiteness they gave to the whole sys- 
tem of ecclesiastical law. (Thurston, Holy Year^ p. 184). 
St. Laurence O' Toole, Archbishop of Dublin, was present 
at the third council. 

St. Dominic was present at the fourth council and was 
cordially welcomed by the Fathers. In this council de- 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 67 

crees were passed concerning the nature of the Sacra- 
ments and, in particular, of the Holy Eucharist, and the 
two binding obligations of yearly confession and com- 
munion were defined. 

St. Francis was also present, and Pope Innocent III 
declared before the assembled Fathers, that he approved 
the order and rule both of the Friars Minor and of 
the Friars Preachers. 

50. — THE LATERAN BAPTISTERY — BUILT BY CON- 
STANTINE. 

This is an octagonal building detached from the basilica. 
In the interior, eight porphyry columns enclosing the font 
support a cornice, from which rise eight smaller columns 
to support the dome. These columns are said to have 
been the gift of Constantine, who was the founder of this 
baptistery. (Armellini, ''Chiese di Roma," p. 89.) The 
font is of green basalt, and stands at a lower level than 
the entrance. In this font or basin Cola di Rienzi bathed 
the night before he summoned Clement VI and the Elec- 
tors of Germany to appear before him for judgment, 
August 1, 1347, and before his coronation with seven 
crowns in the adjacent basilica. (Thurston, Ibid., p. 184.) 

The baptistery was restored by Sixtus III (432-440), 
after being plundered by the Goths, and on the marble 
architrave is an inscription by that pontiff referring to the 
spiritual effect of baptism. (1) 

It was probably in this very font that Ceadwalla, the 
Anglo-Saxon king, was baptized in 689. While still wear- 
ing the white robe of the newly-baptized, he fell ill and 
died, and was buried in the portico of old St. Peter's, near 
the tomb of St. Gregory the Great. 

Jewish converts are here baptized on Easter eve. The 
chapels on each side, dedicated to St. John the Baptist 
and St. John the Evangelist, were added by Pope Hilary 
in the fifth century. 

The chapel on the right has heavy doors of bronze and 

(1) The inscription will be found in Marucchi, Basiliques, p. 94. 



68 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

silver, which, when moved slowly, give forth the sound 
of a powerful organ. Marucchi (p. 97) says they were 
made in the twelfth century, by two brothers, Peter and 
Hubert, and belonged to the old Papal palace. 

51.— THE SCALA SANTA OR HOLY STAIRS. 

Close to the Lateran palace and basilica is a sanctuary 
in charge of the Passionists, containing the Scala Santa 
and the Sancta Sanctorum. 

The ''Holy Stairs" consist of twenty-eight marble 
steps, which tradition states to have been those of Pilate's 
palace, and to have been ascended and descended by our 
Blessed Lord in His Passion. They are said to have 
been brought from Jerusalem by St. Helena, mother of 
Constantine, and have been regarded with great rever- 
ence for 1,500 years. (Thurston, Ibid., p. 186.) 

They formerly stood on the right of the portico of the 
ancient Lateran palace. Sixtus V removed them to their 
present site. The earliest document hitherto found refer- 
ring to them is of the twelfth century. 

The faithful always ascend these steps on their knees 
and kiss the spots where the marks of our Saviour's 
bleeding feet are seen through the little glass panes let 
into the woodwork with which the steps are protected. 

St. Gregory H used to ascend these stairs shedding 
tears of devotion, meditating on our Saviour's Passion. 

Clement VHI ascended them as many as seventy times 
during the Jubilee of 1600 ; and many other Popes, 
amongst them Urban VHI, Innocent X and Clement IX 
practised this devotion with great humility and fervor. 

On September 19, 1870, the eve of the invasion of 
Rome by the troops of Victor Emmanuel, Pope Pius IX 
came to the Scala Santa there to begin his passion. 
From that day the Holy Father has remained a prisoner 
in the Vatican. 

Great indulgences are attached to this devotion. In a 
vault beneath the stairs have recently been discovered 
the relics of many martyrs. The marble groups at the 
foot of the stairs are by Giacometti. 




THE SCALA SANTA. 51, 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 69 

52. — THE CHAPEL SANCTA SANCTORUM. 

At the head of the Holy Stairs may be seen through an 
iron grating the chapel Sancta Sanctorunty the private ora- 
tory of the Popes before 1308, and the only part of the 
Lateran palace that escaped the great fire of that year. 
It was formerly known as the Chapel of St. Laurence, 
and is referred to in the Liber Pontificalis as vS. Lauren- 
tius in Palatio. 

In this chapel the heads of SS. Peter and Paul, that 
had long lain hidden, were discovered by Urban V in 
1367, as stated above. 

The chapel contains many precious relics, said to have 
been placed there by St. Gregory the Great in 540, (1) 
and by St. Leo III in 795, also the celebrated picture of 
our Lord, known as the Acheiropita, or '' Painted not by 
mortal hand." It is on a panel of cedar- wood, and tradi- 
tion has it that it was outlined by St. Luke and completed 
by angels. " Whatever be its origin," says F. Thurston 
{Holy Year, p. 192), ''there can be no question as to its 
great antiquity, and to the veneration in which it has 
been held since the eighth century. Amid the panic 
caused by the Lombard invasion, A. D. 754, Pope 
Stephen II instituted a solemn procession to St. Mary 
Major, himself carrying this picture of our Lord, the 
people following him with ashes sprinkled on their heads 
and chanting litanies. ' ' {Liber Pontificalis. ) 

Innocent III covered it v/ith plates of silver, leaving 
only the face exposed. Padre Garrucci, S.J., conjec- 
tures that it may possibly be a copy of the picture belong- 
ing to Abgar, King of Edessa, a contemporary of our 
Divine Lord {Marucckiy p. 102). 

In the annual processions of the Middle Ages, the pic- 
ture was carried from the Sancta Sanctorum to the Forum ; 
in front of the churches of S. Maria Nuova {i. e., S. Fran- 
cesca) and S. Adriano, the image was put down and its 



(1) St. Gregory here placed the relics he brought from Constanti- 
nople {Marucchi, p. 101). 



70 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

feet washed with basil ; it was then taken to St. Mary- 
Major. {Ibid, p. 193.) 

The picture was exposed in the Lateran basilica for 
several days during the Jubilee of 1900. 

53.— THE LATERAN PIAZZA— ST. FRANCES OF ROME. 

The obelisk brought from Thebes by the Emperor 
Constantius, after long lying hidden underground, was 
raised on its present site by Sixtus V. 

In the ''Life of St. Frances of K.ome," by Lady G. 
Fullerton, we are told, that as the Saint and her friend, 
Vannozza, were returning from Santa Croce, and crossing 
this piazza, a wild bull, that had escaped from its leaders, 
came dashing savagely towards them. Loud shouts 
warned them to get out of the way, but they walked on 
with eyes fixed on the ground, as directed by their con- 
fessor. The bystanders, cowering at a distance, shud- 
dered and gave them up for lost. The savage beast, at 
the sight of the two women, suddenly stopped in its 
course, became perfectly tranquil, stood still while they 
passed and then resumed its flight. 

The large hospital of St. Salvatore on one side of the 
piazza, was frequently visited by St. John Baptist de 
Rossi, and two remarkable conversions he here made are 
mentioned in his life. ( Vie de S. Jean Bapt. de I^ossi, 
Rome, 1901, p. 198-199.) 

54.— THE CHURCH OF S. CLEMENTE. 

This sanctuary, one of the most ancient and most inter- 
esting in Rome, was originally the paternal home of St. 
Clement, disciple of St. Peter, fellow-laborer of St. Paul, 
and fourth Pope and Bishop of Rome. His house, con- 
verted by him into an oratory, was enlarged into a church, 
probably in the reign of Constantine, and is mentioned by 
St. Jerome, 420 (1) ; Pope St. Zozimus, 417; St. Leo the 
Great, 449. 



(1) St. Jerome left Rome in 385, and he speaks of the church as 
having existed for some time at that period. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 71 

In 570, Pope John III made the marble choir and am- 
bones, which bear his monogram. They were removed 
from the lower into the upper church by Paschal II in 1108. 

(a) The Upper Church, that of Paschal II.— In 1084, 
this part of Rome from the Lateran to the Capitol, was 
burned by Robert Guiscard, the Norman. (1) St. Clem- 
ent's {i. e., the lower church) suffered greatly from the 
fire. 

In 1108, Paschal II filled in with earth the lower and 
damaged church, then used it as a foundation on which 
to build the present upper church. In the course of ages 
this lower church came to be quite forgotten, till redis- 
covered by Prior Mulhooly, O. P., in 1857. 

The front entrance, no longer used, is by an old pillared 
gateway with a heavy canopy, leading to an atrium or 
court, paved with fragments of precious marbles. 

{b) The Choir of John III, A. D. 590, in the upper 
church. — It is enclosed by a marble balustrade bearing the 
Pope's monogram, and has two raised ambones or pulpits, 
for reading the Gospel and Epistle. As stated above, 
these were removed from the lower to the upper church 
by Paschal II, in 1108. The spiral Paschal candle stick, 
of marble, inlaid with mosaic, deserves notice. 

[c] The High Altar and Tribune. — The high altar, made 
by Paschal II, in 1108, has a canopy resting on four col- 
umns of pavonazzetto marble. Beneath are the bodies of 
St. Clement, martyr, and St. Ignatius of Antioch, martyr, 
that will be referred to below. 

The pierced marble screens in front of the altar are 
beautiful specimens of early mediaeval work. 

The tribune or sanctuary behind the high altar, has a 
marble Episcopal throne, bearing the name of Cardinal 
Anastasius, 1108. 

The mosaics of the apse and on the face of the arch are 



(1) Robert Guiscard, a famous Norman knight, Duke of Apulia 
and Calabria, came to ^ome in 1084, to rescue Pope St. Gregory 
VII, who was besieged by the troops of Henry IV of Germany, in 
Castle St. Angelo. The Pope was delivered and part of l<ome de- 
stroyed. 



72 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

of the time of Paschal 11. The ancient ciborium or tab- 
ernacle in the wall, to the right of the altar, is interesting 
from its workmanship and position. 

{d) Frescoes of Masaccio, 1421, near the entrance of the 
upper church. — The scenes represented are from the 
Passion, and from the life of St. Catherine of Alexandria. 
It is said that young Raphael came to study the style and 
coloring of these remarkable frescoes. They mark a tran- 
sition from the style of Giotto. 

{e) Chapel of 56*. Cyril and Methodius, off the right aisle. 
— The bodies of these brother saints, apostles of the Slav 
nations, were discovered in the lower church, and trans- 
ferred to the present chapel about the year 1880. The 
frescoes are by a French artist. 

55.— THE UNDERGROUND CHURCH OF S. CLEMENTE OF 
THE FOURTH CENTURY. 

As stated above, this venerable church was partly de- 
stroyed by fire in 1084, filled in with earth in 1108, dis- 
covered and excavated in 1857-8-9. 

The entrance is through the sacristy. 

This lower church dates from about A. D. 385. 

'' Here are many pillars of the rarest marbles in per- 
fect preservation, and a very interesting series of frescoes 
of the eighth and ninth centuries, introducing the story of 
St. Clement and St. Alexius." (Hare.) 

The excavation of this church, in 1857-8-9, was a work 
of great difficulty and danger, more than 130,000 cart- 
loads of rubbish having to be conveyed away on men's 
shoulders. (See Mulhooly's *'St. Clement and his 
Basilica.") For a description of this remarkable church 
and its frescoes, see Marucchi's Basiliques, p. 289, 
seq. 

Beneath this lower church is a third structure, discovered 
in 1867. It is decorated with rich stucco ornaments, and 
was probably the very house of St. Clement. Being 
often flooded with water, it is seldom seen. Its massive 
walls of tufa are thought to belong to the republican 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 73 

period of ancient K.ome. Thus, at St, Clement's, there are 
three distinct edifices, the lowest being a patrician man- 
sion of the first century ; above it is the ancient church of 
the fourth century ; and again, above this, is the present 
(Paschal IV s) church of the twelfth century. 

56.— SAINTS AND SHRINES AT S. CLEMENTE. 

Beneath the high altar is the body of S^. Clement, Pope 
and martyr, brought from the Crimea by St. Cyril, 
Apostle of Bulgaria, in the ninth century. 

On St. Clement's martyrdom, see Roman Breviary, 
November 23. 

Beneath the same altar are the relics of St. Ignatius , 
Bishop of Antioch and martyr. His body being torn to 
pieces by the lions in the Coliseum, nothing of him was 
found after his glorious combat but the larger bones. 
These, St. Chrysostom relates, were gathered up with 
pious care by the Christian bystanders, and ''borne in 
triumph on the shoulders of all the cities from Rome to 
Antioch." They were brought to Rome in 637, when 
Antioch fell into the hands of the infidel Saracen. 

In the porch of S. Clemente died St. Servulus, a holy 
mendicant, amid the songs of angels. His story is told 
by St. Gregory the Great in his Dialogues, Book IV, ch. 
14. His body, preserved under the altar of the Blessed 
Sacrament, formerly worked many miracles. In the 
chapel off the right aisle are the bodies of vS^S. Cyril and 
Methodius, brothers. Apostles of the Slav countries, who 
lived in the ninth century. 

In a council held in this church, in 417, Pope St. Zozimus 
condemned the errors of Celestius, the Pelagian. 

St. Gregory the Great here delivered his thirty-third and 
thirty-eighth homilies. Every Saturday morning St. 
Frances of I(ome came to S. Clemente to consult the 
Prior, Fra Michele, on spiritual subjects. 

Good Father Tom Burke, O.P., was for some time 
stationed at this church. 



74 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

^1. — CHURCH OF THE QUATTRO CORONATI, CLOSE TO 
S. CLEMENTE. 

It is said to date from the fifth century (1), was burnt 
by Robert Guiscard, the Norman, in 1084, and rebuilt by 
Paschal II in 1112. It stands like a fortress at the foot of 
the Coelian hill. 

There are two entrance courts, the inner one having 
formed part of the church destroyed by Guiscard. Paschal 
II shortened the length of the edifice. 

Eight granite columns divide the nave from the narrow 
aisles, and, above these, smaller columns support a gallery 
as at S. Agnese. In the tribune or sanctuary behind the 
high altar is an ancient Episcopal throne. The frescoes of 
the apse are by Giovanni da S. Giovanni. 

The pavement of nave and sanctuary is a mosaic patch- 
work of precious marbles. 

58.— SAINTS AND SHRINES AT QUATTRO CORONATI. 

The Quattro Coronati, or ''Four Crowned Martyrs," 
are Saints Severus, Severianus, Carpophorus and Vic- 
tofinus, soldiers, who suffered under Diocletian, in 304. 
(Alban Butler, Nov. 8.) Their bodies repose in the crypt 
under the high altar. 

With them are associated five other martyrs, 55. Clau- 
dius, Nicostratus, Symphorianus , Castorus and SimpliciuSy 
sculptors, who suffered at Pannonia, in the same persecu- 
tion for refusing to make a statue of ^sculapius. They 
were buried with the first four saints in the cemetery on 
the Labican way. Pope St. Leo IV translated the remains 
of these nine martyrs to this church about A.D. 847. The 
bodies are enshrined in two rich urns of porphyry and ser- 
pentine. 

Pope St. Leo IV (847-855) and Stephen IV (768-771) 
are said to have been elected in this church. 

Pius IV (1559-1565) made the road leading from the 
church to the Lateran. 



(1) P. Grisar (I. Papi, vol. i, p. 285) says it was first built by Pope 
Honorius I, in the seventh century. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 75 

Attached to the church is an orphanage for girls estab- 
lished by St. Ig7tatius of Loyola, and endowed by Pius IV 
and St. Charles Borromeo. A similar orphanage for boys 
was established by St. Ignatius at Santa Maria in Aguiro, 
near Piazza Colonna. 

The church is served by the Capuchins, who here have 
a large convent and a splendid garden. 

CHAPEL OF S. SILVESTRO. 

This little chapel, opening out of the court in front of 
the church, was built by Innocent II in 1140. It contains 
some remarkable frescoes, the chief subjects being: (1) 
The Baptism of Constantine ; (2) Constantine's Gift to St. 
Sylvester ; (3) Constantine Holding the Bridle of St. Syl- 
vester's Horse; (4) St. Sylvester Presenting Portraits of 
SS. Peter and Paul to Constantine. 

59.— S. STEFANO ROTONDO ON THE CGELIAN. 

From below the Quattro Coronati we ascend the Coelian 
hill, on which are many sanctuaries full of beauty and 
rich in holy memories. Though now but sparsely popu- 
lated, the Coelian was, in the early ages, the aristocratic 
part of Rome, and many noble Christian names (Pinianus, 
Pammachius, Cyriaca, Anicius, etc.) are associated with it. 

5. Stefano I(otondo (The Rotunda of St. Stephen), is 
one of the most ancient religious edifices of Rome, being 
built by Pope Simplicius in the fifth century, and is archi- 
tecturally and archaeologically interesting because of its 
remarkable construction. (1) It consists of a double peri- 
style or circle of granite columns, thirty-six in the outer, 
twenty in the inner circle. Originally there were three 
concentric rings of pillars, enclosed by a wall decorated 
with pilasters. Nicholas V (1447-1455) shut out this outer 
wall, and filled up the space between the columns of the 
outer circle with masonry, thus reducing the church's size 



(1) Some have supposed it was originally the Macellum Magnum 
or Great Market of the time of Nero, transformed into a church by 
Pope St. Symmachus (498-514). See Marucchi, Basiliques, p. 220. 



76 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

from 210 feet diameter to 133 feet. The fifty-six columns 
still seen present a unique and striking appearance. The 
dome rests on two lofty columns of granite and two piers 
or pillars of masonry. Though cold and bare now, the inte- 
rior was once rich with marbles and noble monuments. 
John I (523) began to decorate it with frescoes and 
mosaics, and Felix IV (526-539) completed the decoration. 
Biondo, writing about 1430, speaks of the church as ex- 
ceedingly rich in marbles and mosaics. (Ugonis, Ckiese, 
1588.) 

In the vestibule is an ancient marble Episcopal throne, 
from which St. Gregory the Great is said to have delivered 
one of his homilies. 

(a) Chapel of SS. Primus and Felicianus, Martyrs. — The 
chapel, to the left on entering the circular edifice, is dedi- 
cated to two brothers, who suffered a cruel martyrdom 
under Diocletian, about A. D. 286. Their remains were 
translated from Nomentum, the place of martyrdom, to 
this church by Pope Theodore I, about A. D. 645, and 
were discovered under the altar of this chapel in 1625, in 
the time of Urban VIII, when they were enclosed with 
great solemnity in a new and richer shrine, and replaced 
under the altar. The frescoes on the walls represent their 
martyrdom and the translation of their remains. 

The mosaics in the small apse behind the altar are of 
the seventh century. This is also the chapel of the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

{b) Mural Paintings. — Around the circular walls of the 
church is a series of frescoes, by Tempesta and Poma- 
rancio, representing the chief martyrdoms in the ten great 
persecutions of the early church. These pictures, fearful 
to look at, and, perhaps, in some cases too realistic, are 
intended to make the beholder realize how terrible were 
the sufferings of the martyrs, the horror of which no 
painter can adequately portray; (1) and how precious is 



(1) Lactantius (De Morte Persec. n. 16), says: "Though I had a 
hundred mouths and tongues, with an iron breast, it would be im- 
possible for me to describe the various and horrid tortures that were 
inflicted on the guiltless Christians." 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 77 

the gift of faith to which they clung more than Ufe, no 
torture being able to wrest it from them. Formerly it 
was customary for parents to bring their children to this 
church, and show them what the martyrs have suffered 
for the faith. Though ordinary visitors may be inclined 
to turn away fastidiously from these pictures, affecting to 
be shocked by the representations of bodies torn by iron 
hooks and iron claws, or racked, rent, scourged, scorched 
and burnt, yet the Catholic pilgrims will kneel to venerate 
the memory of God's innocent ones, and to thank Him 
for their triumph. Their mortal remains, from which 
their souls fled under every appalling form of death, are 
cherished by the church as precious relics, being destined 
to rise in glory on the Last Day, when their wounds shall 
be resplendent with light outshining the sun at mid-day, 
and every blood-drop shall sparkle with brilliancy like a 
ruby gem. 

60. — RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF S. STEFANO ROTONDO. 

Adjoining the church was formerly the famous monas- 
tery of St. Erasmus, founded, it is said, by St. Benedict 
himself. Pope Adeodatus (672-677) was here a monk. 

To this monastery Pope St. Leo III (795-816) was 
dragged by his enemies, after they had plucked out his 
eyes and cut off his tongue, near the Church of St. Syl- 
vestro, in Capite. (1) He was delivered from their hands 
by his servant, Albinus, his sight and speech being mi- 
raculously restored (n. 325). 

St. Stephen, of Hungary, here founded a college of 
twelve priests, at the beginning of the eleventh century. 
(Alban Butler, Sept. 2.) 

Nicholas V (1447-1455), after the alteration in the build- 
ing mentioned above, gave the church and monastery to 
the hermits of St. Paul. Their tomb may be seen at the 
entrance of the chapel of SS. Primus and Felicianus. 



(1) Anastatius Biblioth. Liber Pontificalis, n. 369, 370. The 
miscreants who thus barbarously mutilated the Pontiff were Pascha- 
lis, master of the palace (Primicerius), and Campulus, the treasurer 
(saccellarius), with several accomplices. 



78 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

In the sixteenth century, Gregory XIII gave the church 
and its possessions to the Collegia Germanico (founded by 
St. Ignatius of Loyola) as part of its endowment. They 
are still the property of the college. 

The old conventual buildings are occupied by a com- 
munity of poor Carmelite nuns, whose convent in the Via 
Venti Settembre was seized and destroyed, about A. D. 
1880, to make way for the new War Office. 

61. — THE HOUSE OF ST. MELANIA, THE YOUNGER. 

In a rich mansion, near S. Stefano Rotondo, there lived 
at the end of the fourth century, and the beginning of the 
fifth, St. Melania, the younger, with her husband, Pinian, 
son of Severus, the prefect or governor of K.ome. She 
was the daughter of Publicola (son of St. Melania, the 
elder) and Albina, and her family belonged to the highest 
nobility of Rome. Obeying an interior call of grace, and 
encouraged by the example of her saintly grandmother, 
who had renounced the splendors of the world to lead a 
life of poverty at Bethlehem, Pinian and Melania, both 
young, bound themselves by mutual vows to serve God 
in perpetual chastity, and determined to forsake the world 
with all the riches and honors they enjoyed. They freed 
8,000 of their slaves, and those who would not accept of 
their freedom, they gave to Melania' s brother. They 
sold all their rich estates in Spain, Gaul, Italy, Sicily and 
distributed their immense wealth to the poor. Their most 
precious furniture was bestowed on churches and altars. 
Having thus, by an heroic sacrifice, impoverished them- 
selves for Jesus Christ, they retired first to Sicily, then to 
Africa, where they were received by the great St. Augus- 
tine, and finally to Bethlehem, where they lived in great 
poverty and austerity. Melania's widowed mother, 
Albina, also distributed her wealth to the poor and joined 
them at Bethlehem. 

St. Melania buried her mother in 433, and her husband, 
Pinian, two years later. She survived him four years, 
shutting herself up in a monastery of nuns, which she 
built and governed. Her feast is kept by the Church on 
December 31. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 79 

62.— SANTA MARIA IN DOMNICA— THE HOME OF 
ST. CYRIACA. 

This church, which is close to S. Stefano Rotondo, is also 
called Santa Maria della Navicella, from the marble figure 
of a Roman galley placed in front of the building by Leo X. 

The name Domnica is a latinized form of Cyriaca, the 
Saint whose house was on this spot, and who owned the 
property on the Veran Estate {i. e.y S. Lorenzo), where 
the cemetery or catacomb is called *'of Cyriaca" after 
her name. 

The church served by Greek Melchite Priests is seldom 
open. It is uncertain when it was first built. Paschal I 
restored it in 817. It was again restored in the sixteenth 
century from the designs of Raphael, by Cardinal Gio- 
vanni de Medici, who became Leo X. 

The beautiful mosaics of the apse are the work of 
Paschal I, A. D. 817. The Pope is represented kissing 
the foot of our Lady, who is enthroned with the Holy 
Child and surrounded by saints. 

The church has holy memories. 

Here in the house of St. Cyriaca, St. Laurence, the 
martyr, used to distribute alms to the poor. 

St. Ado of Vienne, writing in the ninth century, says, 
"St. Cyriaca concealed many priests and clerics in her 
house in times of persecution." 

The Olivetan monks (White Benedictines, founded by 
Blessed Bernard Ptolemei, in 1348) were established at 
this church in the fourteenth century before going to 
Santa Maria Nuova in the Forum. 

The church stands in a picturesque spot on the highest 
part of the Ccelian hill, commanding charming views of 
the Alban and Sabine hills and of the Roman campagna 
with its long lines of aqueducts stretching away into the 
distance. Close by are the beautiful grounds of the Villa 
Mattel, with avenues of ilexes, shady groves and masses 
of brilliant flowers blooming amid fragments of ancient 
statues and columns. Here St. Philip Neri used to bring 
the Dominican novices and other young friends for inno- 



80 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

cent recreation. The stone seat where he used to sit and 
converse with them is still shown. 

63.— ARCH OF DOLABELLA— ROOM OF ST. JOHN OF 

MATHA. 

Leaving Santa Maria in Domnica we pass by an 
ancient door-way, surmounted by a mosaic representing 
an angel between two captives, the work of one of the 
Cosimati.(l) This was the entrance to the great monas- 
tery of the Trinitarians, or Order for the I^ansom of 
Captives, (2) occupied by them till the fourteenth cen- 
tury, when the troubles and disturbances during the 
Avignon period forced them to seek a place of greater 
security. They have been for centuries at S. Crisogono. 
The arch in front of us bears the name of the consul 
Publius Cornelius Dolabella, who built it in A. D. 10. The 
window over the arch marks the cell where St. John of 
Matka, founder of the Order of the Trinitarians, died 
in 1213. 

The spacious ruins about, belonging to some ancient 
edifice, were transformed into a monastery of the order in 
the thirteenth century. 

In a garden, near the arch, is the little church of St. 
Tommaso (St. Thomas) in Formis, so called from the 
aqueducts, "■ Formae," near which it was built. It dates 
from the eleventh century, and was presented by Inno- 
cent III to St. John of Matha and the Trinitarians. The 
Saint's body was venerated here till the seventeenth cen- 
tury, when it was translated to Spain. His order had 
formerly forty-three houses in England. 

64. — SS. GIOVANNI E PAOLO — CHURCH OF SS, JOHN 
AND PAUL, BROTHERS, MARTYRS. 

Following the road through the arch of Dolabella, we 
come to the Church of SS. John and Paul. 

These two brothers, officers in the service of Constantia, 
daughter of Constantine, were beheaded for the faith in 

(1) Jacobus Cosimati, A. D. 1260. 

(2) Founded by St. John of Matha, and St. Felix of Valois in 1197. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 81 

their own house in the persecution of Julian the Apostate, 
A. D. 362. Crispus, a priest, Crispinus, a deacon, and 
Benedicta, a pious lady, while trying to secure the bodies 
to give them honorable interment, were arrested and 
condemned to death. 

The church was originally the house of the two saints 
as well as the place of their martyrdom. SL PammachiuSy 
a wealthy senator, the friend of St. Jerome, erected here 
a church at the end of the fourth century, known as 
Titulus Pammachiiy the original house being filled in with 
earth, and the new building made to rest on it as a 
foundation. 

The church was restored by Adrian I and St. Leo III. 

In 1158 the present portico was erected by Adrian IV 
(Nicholas Breakspear), the only English Pope. 

In 1206, the beautiful campanile was built. The pic- 
turesque arcaded apse and the mosaic pavement are 
probably of the same period. 

Entering the church we notice a part railed off in the 
nave, indicating the spot under which SS. John and Paul 
were martyred. 

The high altar has beautiful columns of Egyptian ala- 
baster, and an altar-piece by Triga. In a large urn of 
porphyry beneath the altar are the bodies of the two 
titular saints. 

In a side chapel off the right aisle, rich with marbles 
and paintings, is the body of St. Paul of the Cross y 
founder of the Passionists, who died in the adjoining 
monastery in 1775, and was canonized in 1867. He was 
distinguished from his childhood by extraordinary devo- 
tion to our Saviour's Passion, and was the first to organ- 
ize public prayer for the conversion of England. Pius VI 
visited him in his illness and revered him as a saint. The 
room where he died has been converted into a chapel, and 
is occasionally shown to visitors. 

65. — THE HOUSE OF SS. JOHN AND PAUL, BENEATH 
THE PRESENT CHURCH. 

Excavations made under the direction of Padre Ger- 
mane, in 1887, brought to light the house of SS. John 



82 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

and Paul, which had been filled in with earth by St. 
Pammachius, in order to erect the church upon it as a 
foundation. The entrance is by a narrow stair at the 
end of the right aisle. Here may be seen the place of 
their martyrdom, the cavity where their bodies lay till 
the sixteenth century, the dining-room, kitchen, bath- 
room, wine-cellar, etc. Many frescoes yet remain, espe- 
cially in the dining-room. They are of the second cen- 
tury, of pagan origin, and artistically good, representing 
men, birds, flowers and boys playing among vines. One 
room has Christian frescoes of the Good Shepherd, and 
in another is a figure of an Orante^ i. e. , a person praying 
with arms extended. There are also later frescoes of the 
Crucifixion, etc., much ruder specimens of art, painted 
when the house was converted into an oratory. The 
whole is well preserved from having been filled in with 
earth and covered over for some fourteen centuries. 
Several bodies of martyrs were discovered here in 1901. 



66. — SAINTS AND SHRINES AT SS. GIOVANNI E. PAOLO. 

St. PammachiuSy the founder of the church (fourth 
century) was a wealthy R.oman senator and the ornament 
of the illustrious family of the Camilli, as he is styled by 
St. Jerome, whose schoolfellow he was in youth and 
friend in after life. In 370, while still a youth, he was 
raised to the proconsular dignity and, somewhat later, 
married Paulina, (the second daughter of St. Paula), who 
died a few years after her marriage. Thenceforth, Pam- 
machius made the poor the heirs of his immense property, 
and lived retired from the world, devoting himself to 
exercises of devotion, charity and penance. He built an 
immense hospital for strangers at Ostia, and used to serve 
the sick and poor with his own hands. He died in 410, 
and his panegyric was written by St. Jerome. His body 
is under one of the altars of the church. 

Several saints have resided here, viz.: SS. John and 
Paul, St. Pammachius, St. Marcarius, St. Paulinus of 



PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 83 

Nola, St. Savinus of Piacenza, St. Heliodorus, St. Paul 
of the Cross. (1) 

Besides the bodies of SS. John and Paul (under the 
high altar), St. Pammachius and St. Paul of the Cross, the 
church also enshrines the remains of St. Saturninus, and 
of the twelve martyrs known as Scilitani, from Scillium, 
a town in Africa. (See AUard. Histoire des Persecutions ^ 
vol I, p. 446.) 

The church and monastery belonged to Eastern monks 
till the fourteenth century, then to the Jesuali, an order 
founded by St. John Columbini in 1367, and suppressed 
by Clement IX in 1668 ; then to the Irish Dominicans, 
who had fled from Ireland in the days of persecution ; 
finally, to the Passionists, whose holy founder was pre- 
sented with the church by Clement XIV, about 1772, the 
Irish Dominicans receiving the church of S. Clemente. 

In the garden of the monastery may be seen the en- 
trance to vast substructions, known as the Vivarium, 
where wild beasts were kept ready to be let loose on the 
Christian martyrs in the Coliseum. 

The road to the left of the church, spanned by arches, 
and leading to S. Gregorio, is known as the Clivus Scauri, 
or '* Slope of Scaurus," from a mansion of Scaurus that 
once stood here. He was prstor of the city and censor, 
and his eloquence is praised by Cicero and Tacitus. His 
death occurred in the year 87, before Christ. In this road 
will be noticed a door leading to the house of SS. John 
and Paul, under the level of the present church. 

67.— S. GREGORIO ON THE CCELIAN— CHURCH OF ST. 
GREGORY THE GREAT. 

''The cradle of English Christianity." 

St. Gregory the Great, the Apostle of England, and 
one of the most majestic figures in the history of the 
Church, was of the noble house of Anicia. His parents 
were Gordianus, a wealthy Roman senator, and St., 



(1) Also the Popes St. Innocent, St. Zozimus, St. Leo the Great, 
St. Hilarius, Pelagius II. (Piazza. Stazioni.) 



84 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Sylvia. While still young, he held the high office of City 
Praetor, or Governor of Rome. At his father's death, he 
devoted the vast wealth he inherited to the founding of 
six monasteries in Sicily and to other religious works, and 
converted his father's mansion on the Coelian into a mon- 
astery for Benedictine monks. He himself entered the 
order of St. Benedict, and held the office of Prior and 
Abbot, till he was raised to the Chair of St. Peter, in 
590. 

ST. GREGORY'S HOME. 

" On the Clivus Scauri, a declivity of the Coelian hill, 
some 300 yards from the Coliseum, stood the palace of 
Gordianus, a man of senatorial rank and considerable 
wealth. He had large estates in Sicily, and the appoint- 
ments of his house doubtless corresponded with his wealth 
and rank. 

" The marble colonnades of the atrium, the central foun- 
tain surrounded by choice plants, the frescoed walls of the 
triclinia, the rich tapestries and sumptuous furniture testi- 
fied to a home of comfort and luxury. Here, probably, 
Gregory was born, about the year 540, and here he 
passed his infancy and boyhood. His father, Gordi- 
anus, was sprung from the Anicii, a family noted in 
Roman story, and which had also given saintly heroes to 
the Church ; his grandfather, Felix, had sat in the Chair 
of Peter ; his mother, Sylvia, and his aunts, Tharsilla and 
Emiliana, are numbered among the saints." (Snow, 
** St. Gregory the Great," p. 26.) 

68. — TROUBLES DURING GREGORY'S CHILDHOOD AND 

BOYHOOD. 

Before entering the church, we may recall what is told 
us by historians of Gregory's early life spent on this spot. 

In 538, two years before his birth, the twelvemonth's 
siege by Vitiges left Rome crippled and starving. 

During his infancy, Totila was subduing Southern 
Italy. 

In 546, when he was six years old, Rome passed 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 85 

through a terrible siege and famine, ending in its capture 
by Totila and its complete destruction. 

In 547, Belisarius occupied it and repulsed the assault 
of the Gothic King. 

In 549, Totila again took the city. 

In 553y Nares regained possession of the capital, which 
was followed by the massacre of the patricians. 

In 553-4, the whole of Italy was ravaged by the merci- 
less invasion of the Franks and Allemani. 

It is easy to imagine what Gordianus' family, one of 
the noblest in K.ome, had to suffer during these trying 
vicissitudes. Gregory's life, which was one of conflict, 
was plentifully sown with trials from its very outset. 

69.— THE saint's youth and vocation. 

He was carefully trained in piety and holiness by the 
solicitude of his saintly mother, Sylvia, who, when freed 
from domestic cares by the death of her husband, with- 
drew to a secluded spot called Ce//a Nuova {i. e., S. Saba 
on the Aventine), where she spent the days of her widow- 
hood in prayer and asceticism. 

Gregory's talents, success and lineage fitted him for a 
public career, and in 574, the Emperor Justin, the younger, 
appointed him Praetor of K.ome, at the age of thirty-four. 

In SIS, he resigned his office, sold his patrimony, dis- 
tributed the money to the poor, and asked for the Bene- 
dictine habit in his old home. (Snow, ''Life of the 
Saint," pp. 30, 31, 32.) 

THE APOSTLE OF ENGLAND. 

St. Gregory is styled by the Church and by venerable 
Bede, the '' Apostle of the English." 

His zeal for the conversion of England was first 
awakened when, in the early years of his monastic life, 
he was passing through the Forum, and saw some blue- 
eyed, flaxen-haired Anglo-Saxon boys exposed for sale 
as slaves. Those winsome faces appealed to his heart 
and stirred his sympathy and zeal. He went to Pope 



86 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Benedict to plead the cause of that distant nation, and to 
offer himself for the hazardous mission, and after extract- 
ing a reluctant consent from the Pope, set out with a few 
of his brethren for the conversion of England. As soon 
as his departure was known, a popular tumult arose. He 
was so dear to them that they loudly clamored for his 
recall, and forced the Pope to send messengers to bring 
him back. Gregory at once obeyed the Pope's order, and 
returned to his monastic cell on the Coelian. (Snow, Ibid,, 
p. 43.) 

Many years later, after his elevation to the Chair of St. 
Peter, amid all the anxieties of office, he still remembered 
England, and was full of solicitude for its conversion. 
Unable to go himself, he sent a band of Benedictine mis- 
sionaries from this, his old monastic home, chief among 
them being St. Augustine, first Archbishop of Canterbury ; 
St. Laurence, second Archbishop of the same see ; St. Melli- 
tuSy Bishop of London ; St. Justus, Bishop of ^.ochester ; 
St. Paulinus, Bishop of York. (A. Butler, May 26.) The 
account of their journey, of their fears, their landing and 
reception, of the conversion of Ethelbert, followed by 
that of his subjects, and of Gregory's joy at the glad news, 
may be read in Venerable Bede's '* History of the Anglo- 
Saxon Church." 

The work of evangelizing England being begun, di- 
rected, helped and encouraged by Gregory, he is justly 
styled the Apostle of England. 

70.— THE PRESENT CHURCH OF S. GREGORIO. 

St. Gregory had dedicated the church and monastery to 
St. Andrew, but the title was changed by one of his suc- 
cessors. The Benedictines resided here from the sixth to 
the sixteenth century, except for a short period during 
the ninth and tenth centuries. In 1573, Gregory XHI in- 
troduced the Camaldolese monks, a branch of the Bene- 
dictines founded by St. Romuald, who still serve the 
church, though they were robbed of their monastery and 
noble library about 1872. 

The external walls of the church and the internal piers 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 87 

are said to be those of St. Gregory's time, carefully pre- 
served at the restorations of 1725. 

The approach is by a broad flight of steps. The pres- 
ent entrance and the atrium are the works of Cardinal 
Scipio Borghese, 1633. In the rooms above the entrance 
was the noble library of the Camaldolese monks, seized 
by the Italian Government, in 1872. In the cloistered 
court are some interesting tombs, taken from the church 
at the restorations in 1725, some being of English exiles 
for the faith, who died in Rome in the sixteenth century. 

On the pillars near the entrance of the court may be 
seen the names of St. Augustine and the other mission- 
aries sent by St. Gregory to England, about 594 ; also the 
names of many saints who have resided in this monastery. 

{a) Interior of the Church — the Sainf s Cell and Altar. — 
The nave is separated from the aisles by sixteen ancient 
columns. Off the right aisle is the monastic cell of St. 
Gregory, with the stone slab, on which he slept, and a 
marble Episcopal chair, said to have been used by him 
It was probably here that he wrote that delightful book, 
'' The Dialogues of St. Gregory," which was the standard 
spiritual work of the middle ages. 

At the end of the right aisle is the altar of the saint, 
with a portrait, by Sacchi, and some exquisite miniatures 
on the altar step, by Signorelli. 

On the marble altar-front are some bas-reliefs repre- 
senting the deliverance of the soul of the monk, Justin, 
from purgatory, after thirty masses had been offered for 
him. The story will be found -in ''St. Gregory's Dia- 
logues," bk. iv, ch. Iv, and in Alban Butler, March 12. 

{b) The Salviati Chapel. — Off the left aisle is a chapel 
built by Cardinal Salviati in the sixteenth century. Its 
chief treasure, a painting, by Annibale Caracci, was stolen 
at the close of the eighteenth century, sold at Genoa, and 
is now in England. 

The chapel has two ancient pictures of our Lady, one 
in a deep niche to the right on entering — the other over 
the side altar. There is a tradition that St. Gregory heard 
our Lady speaking to him from the latter picture. On 
the opposite side is a beautiful marble tabernacle of the 



88 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

year 1469, on which is a representation in reUef of the fa- 
mous procession of St. Gregory and the appearance of the 
angel on the summit of Hadrian's mole. (Castel S. Angelo.) 

71. — THE THREE ANCIENT CHAPELS IN THE GARDEN. 

In a garden beside the atrium or entrance-court, are 
three ancient chapels built by St. Gregory and restored by 
Cardinal Baronius. 

(^) Chapel of St. Sylvia^ mother of St. Gregory. — The 
marble statue of the saint is by Cordieri. 

In the upper part of the apse is a charming fresco of 
angels singing and playing musical instruments, by Guido 
I^eni. 

{h) Chapel of St. Andrew. — On the side walls are the 
famous frescoes of the martyrdom of St. Andrew, by Guido 
K.eni, and Domenichino. The latter artist represents the 
martyr on the rack ; Guido, the procession to the place of 
martyrdom, and the solemn moment when the saint sees 
the cross from afar, and kneels down to salute it. 

(c) Chapel of St. Barbara, also called Triclinium Pauperum. 
— The beautiful statue of St. Gregory by Cordieri was partly 
modeled, it is said, by Michael Angelo. 

In the centre of the chapel is an ancient marble table on 
which St. Gregory daily served twelve poor men. On 
one occasion an angel entered as a thirteenth guest. (1) 
After the meal, when the rest had dispersed, Gregory took 
the stranger apart and asked him his name. The angel 
replied that his name was a mystery, but bade him recall 
the day when a shipwrecked person had come to his cell 
there several times to ask alms, and he had given him 
twelve pieces of silver, and the silver plate on which his 
mother, Sylvia, had been wont to send him a daily pit- 
tance of vegetables from her garden at Cella Nuova {i. e., 
S. Saba on the Aventine). From that time, the angel 
said, the Lord had elected him to be the successor of St. 
Peter. This story will be again referred to when we visit 
S. Saba. A fresco on the wall, by A. Caracci, represents 
the event. 



( 1 ) Hence the practice adopted by the Popes of serving not twelve, 
but thirteen poor men on Good Friday. 




SS. JOHN AND PAUL, CLIVUS SCAUKI. 64. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 89 

RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF S. GREGORIO. 

Here dwelt the three holy monks, Antonius, Merulus 
and John, of whom S. Gregory speaks in his Dialogues, 
bk. iv. c. 47. 

Many saints have resided in this monastery. Their 
names will be found on a pillar at the entrance of the 
court. 

The Anglo-Saxon Saints, St. Benedict Biscop, St. 
Willibrod, St. Wilfrid of York, St. Boniface (Winfrid) 
and others, must often have visited S. Gregorio in their 
pilgrimages to the Holy City. 

The same may be said of the Anglo-Saxon kings, 
Ceadwalla of Wessex, Ina of Wessex, Cenred of Mercia, 
Offa of Essex, Ceolwulf of Northumbria, Ethelwulf and 
his son Alfred, and others. 

Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846), a Camaldolese, was 
abbot of this monastery before his elevation to the 
Papacy, and amid the trials of his exalted position as 
Head of the Church, he is said to have sighed for his 
quiet cell at S. Gregorio. 

Cardinals Manning and Vaughan are among the Cardi- 
nals who take their titles from this church. (1) 

In 1872 the monastery was appropriated by the Italian 
government, and the magnificent library of the monks 
declared to be State property. 

72.— THE CONVERSION OF ENGLAND. 

KneeUng in the Church of S. Gregorio we join our fer- 
vent prayers to those of countless pilgrims who have pre- 
ceded us for the conversion of England. It is the 
privilege of English Catholics to claim St. Gregory as 
their Apostle, as the '' Father of Christian England," and 
to say with St. Bede, ** We English are the seal of St. 
Gregory's Apostleship in the Lord." 

For a thousand years the strong work of Gregory and 
Augustine in England stood in unbroken unity. In an 

(1) During the occupation of Rome by the French at the close of 
the eighteenth century, this venerable sanctuary was converted into 
a barrack, and nearly everything of value was carried of. 



90 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

evil day, Henry VIII came and tore England from the 
union v/ith the See of Peter, while he and his Protestant 
successors, with hired and foreign soldiers, dragooned the 
English people out of their birthright. 

We pray that England may return again to the bosom 
of the true Church ; that the Church's gentle sway may 
extend throughout the land, from the prince in his palace 
to the peasant in his cot ; that the venerable cloisters and 
sanctuaries now lying in ruins or, worse still, desecrated 
for the purpose of heresy, may be rebuilt and restored to 
one true worship of God ; that those gray ruins, mantled 
with ivy, that were once resonant with holy song, may 
again be transformed into the homes of holy monks, 
sanctifying with their psalmody the loneliness of the 
night ; that the spotless Sacrifice may once more be 
offered on ten thousand altars throughout the length and 
breadth of the land ; and the Angelus bell may once more 
be heard on every mountain and valley, reminding the 
faithful that England has been again restored to Mary as 
her cherished dowry. 

Of St. Paul of the Cross, before whose shrine we knelt 
in the church of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, it is said in his 
life : there is no telling how many tears he shed, how 
many sighs he breathed out to Heaven, how many prayers 
he put up to God, for the return of England to the Cath- 
olic Church. Often he used to say with great feeling : 

* ' Ok, England, England I let us pray for England ! I 
could not help doing it, even if I wished ; for as soon as 
I begin to pray, that unhappy kingdom comes before me. 
It is now fifty years that I have been praying for the con- 
version of England. I do it every morning in the Holy 
Mass. What may be God's intentions concerning that 
kingdom, I know not : perhaps He will yet have mercy 
on it, and the day will come when He will, by His good- 
ness, bring it to the true faith. Well, let us pray for this 
blessing, and leave it in God's hands." 

The dying prayer of Ven. Henry Heath, Martyr, O.S.F., 
was : ** O Jesus, convert England ! O Jesus, have mercy 
on this nation ! " 



CHAPTER IV. 
To St. Mary Major and the Holy Places on the 

ESQUILINE. 
IZ. — SS. DOMENICO E SISTO NEAR PIAZZA MAGNANAPOLI. 

St. Bridget of Sweden was bidden by our divine Lord 
to go to the Holy City to obtain the confirmation of the 
Rule of her order. '* Go to Rome : there the streets are 
all golden-paved and bedewed with the blood of martyrs ; 
there, because of the indulgences their merits have won, 
the road to heaven is shortened." 

It is well in visiting the churches to have the intention 
of gaining all these indulgences, which are very great 
and numerous ; and in passing along the streets to reflect 
that we are treading in the footsteps of saints, on soil 
reddened with the blood of Martyrs. 

Starting from the Piazza del Quirinale (1) we follow the 
wide street that leads down to the Via Nazionale, having 
on our left the Palazzo Rospigliosi, built on the site of 
the baths of Constantine, and on our right the handsome 
entrance to the Colonna gardens. Just beyond the gar- 
den is the church of kS*. Silvestro a Monte Cavallo^ belong- 
ing to the Lazarists or Missionaries of St. Vincent de 
Paul. A few months after the suppression of the Society 
of Jesus in 1773, Pope Clement XIV gave the church, 
house (novitiate) and garden of S. Andrea, in Quirinale, to 
these Religious, who enjoyed the possession of the prop- 
erty till 1810, when they were banished by the French 
government. At the restoration of the Society in 1814, 
Pope Pius VII took the property from the Lazarists and 
gave it back to its original owners. As compensation 
the Lazarists received this church and monastery of S. 



(1) The terminus of the well-known Via Venti Settembre. 

91 



92 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Silvestro. In 1872, the monastery was converted into 
barracks. At the foot of the street is the Piazza Mag- 
nanapoli, a strange name, supposed to be derived from 
Balnea Pauli. In the centre of the square, protected by 
an iron raihng, is a fragment of the ancient wall of the 
time of the kings. Another fragment, with an interesting 
stone doorway, may be seen inside the entrance of the 
Palazza Antonelli, which is immediately on our right as 
we enter the square. On the opposite side is the church 
of 5". Catherine of Sienna, with a high mediaeval tower at 
the back, and extensive conventual buildings on the 
right now used as barracks. The lofty gardens on our 
left, bright with verdure and flowers, and reaching to the 
handsome Banca d'ltalia, belong to the Villa Aldobran- 
dini. Altogether this is one of the most picturesque 
spots in Rome, where the modernizing mania of the pres- 
ent masters of the city has done least harm. 

Passing by the Aldobrandini gardens, we come to the 
lofty and imposing church of SS. Domenico e Sisto, at the 
entrance of the street Via Panisperna (1), and here begins 
our pilgrimage. 

The first community of Dominican nuns was estab- 
lished by St. Dominic himself, in the convent at San Sisto, 
on the Via Appia (n. 194). In the course of time, as the 
population receded from that neighborhood, the place be- 
came unhealthy and malarious, so that St. Pius V judged 
it advisable to transfer the nuns to this new church and 
convent, about A. D. 1570. They brought with them the 
miraculous picture of our Lady (see n. 194). In 1872, the 
nuns lost this, their beautiful convent, which was seized by 
the Italian government, and converted into secular {i. e., 
irreligious) schools. In the church is preserved the hand 
of St. Catherine of Sienna. 

74. — S. AGATA DEI GOTI — ST. AGATHA OF THE GOTHS — 
THE IRISH COLLEGE. 

This church, which dates from the fifth century, stands 
in a narrow street at the back of the Villa Aldobrandini, 

(1) The full name of the street is Via S. Lorenzo in Panisperna. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 93 

with a side entrance off the street Via Panisperna. It 
was built by Flavius R^icimer, the king-maker, who was 
buried here in 472. The splendid mosaics of his time 
perished at the restorations made in 1589, and the only- 
remains of antiquity visible at present are the twelve 
granite columns and the mosaic pavement, the latter being 
of the thirteenth century. 

When the Goths, who were Arians, occupied Rome, in 
549, they made this their national church, hence the name 
dei Goti. St. Gregory the Great restoring it to Catholic 
worship, reconsecrated it, purifying it from the stain of 
Arianism, and dedicated it to St. Agatha, some of whose 
reHcs he enshrined in the altar. In the left aisle is the 
monument of Daniel 0' Connelly the great champion of 
Catholic emancipation, whose heart is buried here in ac- 
cordance with his dying wish. 

A seminary for Irish ecclesiastical students is said to 
have been founded in the sixteenth century by Giovanni 
Antonio Fuccioli, of Tifernum, (/. e., Citta di Castello in 
Umbria,) but it was only in the year 1627 that the college 
was really established through the munificence of Cardi- 
nal Ludovisi, nephew of Gregory XV, and placed under 
the care of the Society of Jesus. During the one hundred 
and seventy years that the college lasted, till its suppres- 
sion by the French usurpers of Rome in 1798, it was 
scarcely ever able to receive more than eight students 
within its walls. The most illustrious of its students was 
Veneral Oliver Plunket, the martyr Archbishop of Ar- 
magh, who entered the college in 1646. 

An interesting incident of the Revolution of 1848-9, 
borrowed from the I^ambler, deserves to be inserted here. 
During the troubles, persecutions and horrible profana- 
tions of the sad period of the so-called Roman Republic, 
the Irish college displayed the British flag as a protection, 
and offered an asylum to several of the saintly clergy, 
who were special objects of hatred to the revolutionists. 
Information of this was carried to the government prob- 
ably by spies. Thereupon a party of republicans pre- 
sented themselves at the college gates and demanded ad- 



94 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

mittance. There were in the college at the time three 
Roman ecclesiastics, whom these ruffians would gladly 
have discovered, viz., his Eminence Cardinal Castracane, 
the saintly Don Vincenzo Pallotta, and Don Pietro Sciam- 
plicotti, the parish priest of S. Maria de' Monti. It was 
thought prudent not to refuse admittance to the republi- 
cans, who at once set about their search. On entering 
one of the larger rooms, where the students were all stand- 
ing together in a group, they took a hasty scrutiny and 
passed on, little dreaming that Cardinal Castracane him- 
self was standing in the midst of that group, expecting to 
find him hiding in some remote corner of the house. By 
some singular accident, or rather, by the overruling provi- 
dence of God, they altogether overlooked the room in 
which Don Vincenzo Pallotta was hiding. Entering an- 
other room they found a student lying dangerously ill in 
bed, and a priest sitting near him with a stole around his 
neck and a ritual in his hand, his back turned towards the 
door. This was Don Sciamplicotti, but the soldiers, not 
recognizing him, closed the door and passed on. 

75.— S. BERNARDINO DA SIENA— SECOND RESIDENCE 
OF ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA IN ROME. 

On the opposite side of the street in the Via Panisperna 
is the modest church of St. Bernadine of Sienna, which 
calls for no special remark. Near it was the house of 
Quirino Garzonio, the wealthy Roman, who offered hos- 
pitality to St. Ignatius and his companions on their first 
arrival in Rome in 1537. The house he lent them was 
in a vineyard on the Pincio, and will be referred to later. 
This house proving too small for the community, on the 
arrival of St. Francis Xavier and some five other Fathers, 
St. Ignatius took a larger house in the heart of the city, 
a little after Easter, 1538. The site of this second house 
is unknown, but there is a tradition, mentioned by Piazza 
(Emerologio Sacro, vol. 1., pubHshed in 1690), that it was 
near this church of St. Bernardine of Sienna. Here they 
lived in great poverty and devoted themselves to works of 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 95 

zeal, preaching and catechizing in the churches, streets 
and pubHc squares. Not unfrequently, after a hard morn- 
ing's work, they returned home to find no food in the 
house, such was their poverty ; and they were obhged to 
go out into the streets again to beg sufficient alms where- 
with to sustain life. 

The large public school adjoining the church was, till 
recently, the convent home of some Franciscan nuns. 

76. — S. LORENZO IN PANISPERNA — MARTYRDOM OF ST. 
LAURENCE, THE ARCHDEACON. 

The church on our left, after crossing the Via dei Ser- 
penti and ascending the slope of the Esquiline, is S. 
Lorenzo in Panisperna, the latter curious name being 
possibly derived from Perpenna Quadratus, one of Con- 
stantine's officers, of whom an inscribed tablet was found 
in the garden here. 

The spot is full of holy memories. The church is built 
on the supposed site of St. Laurence's terrible martyr- 
dom, and in the crypt (the entrance to which is outside 
the church) a cavity is shown under the sanctuary, where 
the martyr is said to have suffered. Over the high altar 
is a large fresco of the subject by Pasquale Cati, a pupil 
of Michael Angelo. The circumstances of that fearful 
conflict have been transmitted to us by St. Ambrose, St. 
Augustine, St. Maximus, Prudentius and others. 

St. Ado of Vienne says he was first cruelly scourged ; 
and, among the eleventh century frescoes on the walls of 
the portico of S. Lorenzo, outside the walls, is one that 
represents the scourging. The saint, all bleeding, was 
dragged to the spot where we are standing, and bound 
with chains on to a gridiron over a bed of fire, which, 
being made to burn slowly, gradually consumed his flesh, 
searching into his very vitals. To the newly baptized 
Christians, who were present, his countenance shone with 
marvellous light ; he seemed transfigured like an angel ; 
and from his broiled flesh there exhaled a delicious frag- 
rance ; but the light and the fragrance were imperceptible 
to unbelievers. 



96 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

St. Augustine says, so vehement was his desire of pos- 
sessing Christ, that he felt not the torments of the perse- 
cutor. St. Ambrose observes, that while his body was 
being consumed in the material flames, the fire of divine 
love, which burnt far more intensely v/ithin his breast, 
made him regardless of the bodily pain. So calm and 
peaceful was he amid the flames, that he smiled at his tor- 
mentors ; and, turning to the judge, said : ''Let my body 
be now turned; this side is done enough." 

The martyr's dying prayer was for the conversion of 
Rome and for the spread and triumph of the Catholic 
faith. The bystanders were deeply impressed by his 
tender piety and heroic endurance, and several senators 
were converted. (1) Prudentius even ascribes to the saint's 
prayers the entire conversion of Rome and the final ex- 
tinction of idolatry in that city. His entombment in the 
Catacomb of Cyriaca will be spoken of elsewhere. 

77.— OTHER HOLY MEMORIES OF PANISPERNA— THE 
BURIAL OF ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN. 

On the steps of this church and at the convent gate, 
good St. Bridget of Sweden, whom our Lord favored 
with such wonderful revelations, used to sit among the 
poor, asking alms of those who entered, which she took 
at the close of the day to the poor pilgrims of the Swedish 
hospital founded by her. 

Just before her death, which happened in the convent 
of her Order, in the Piazza Farnese, in 1373, she charged 
her son Birger to have her body carried quietly by night 
to the convent of the Poor Clares, at Panisperna, without 
the slightest show or ceremony. She wished to lie among 
the good religious, in whose house she had spent so many 
peaceful hours during her long residence in Rome, where 
it had been her delight to beg alms at the convent gate. 
Notwithstanding her humble wish to be thus buried at 
night in obscurity, her funeral was attended by great 



(1) S. Romanus, martyr, was one of those converted on this occa 
sion. 




STATUE OF ST. GKEGOKY THE GREAT. 71. 




VW VV. t ^.^rJr. .r.- 4-.'y Tr.y xJrxT^PTJai 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 97 

numbers of the clergy and of the first nobility of K.©me. 
The body was exposed for two days in the church of 
Panisperna, to satisfy the devotion of the faithful, during 
which time several miraculous cures took place. It was 
then laid in a sealed coffin and placed in a marble sar- 
cophagus, near the altar of the second chapel, on the right 
side of the church, where it remained a year, that is, till 
preparations were completed for its translation to the 
monastery of Wastein, in Sweden, A. D. 1374. 

The church still treasures among its relics an arm of 
the saint, her mantle and office book. 

In 1376, St. Catherine of Sweden, Bridget's daughter, 
returned to Rome to continue her mother's holy work for 
the Church. She was received with the warmest affec- 
tion by the Poor Clares of Panisperna, occupied the cell 
consecrated by her mother's prayers, tears and visions, 
knelt before the same crucifix on which her mother's eyes 
had so often rested, and here v^raited for the return of the 
Vicar of Christ from Avignon, the great object of her 
mother's prayers and work. St. Catherine of Sienna here 
came to visit her, and would listen to all the wonderful 
things that the daughter had to tell of her saintly mother. 

In this same church Pope Leo XIII was consecrated 
Bishop, in 1843. The handsome steps at the entrance 
were restored on occasion of his sacerdotal jubilee, in 
1888. 

The Poor Clares, who had occupied the adjoining con- 
vent since the thirteenth or fourteenth century, left about 
the year 1873, and their religious home is now applied to 
secular purposes. 

The two lambs, blessed every year on St. Agnes' 
feast, used formerly to be sent to this convent. 

78.— S. PUDENZIANA— **THE CRADLE OF THE 
WESTERN CHURCH." 

A little further on, in the Via Urbanay which intersects 
the Via Panisperna, is the well-known church of S. Pu- 
denziana, from which Cardinal Wiseman derived his title 
in the Sacred College. Originally the house or senatorial 



98 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

palace of Pudens, where St. Peter lived and exercised his 
sacred office for several years, it was converted into an 
oratory by Pope St. Pius I, about the year 145, and known 
as the Tituliis (1) Pudentis and Titulus Pastoris. The tra- 
dition connecting it with St. Peter dates from the fourth 
century, and his presence and ministry within its walls 
justly entitle it to be regarded as the Cradle of the Western 
Church. 

After several restorations in mediaeval times, it was 
finally modernized by Cardinal Caetani, in 1598. Por- 
tions, however, of the earlier church exist, with consider- 
able remains of a large brick building of the first century, 
that forms the substructure of the church. This old 
masonry is thought to have been part of. the house of 
Pudens, or of the baths built by Navatus, son of Pudens. 

The entrance court is considerably below the level of 
the street. In the facade are mosaics of St. Peter, St. 
Pudens and St. Pudentiana. The campanile or belfry, 
with triple arcades of open arches on every side, is of the 
ninth century, and the picturesque door, with its marble 
columns, is still more ancient. 

The interior has a disappointingly modern look, the 
result of Cardinal Caetani's alterations. The mosaics in 
the tribune vault are of th.Q fourth century and among the 
finest and best preserved in l^ome. They were made 
soon after the finding of the true Cross by St. Helena. 
They represent our Divine Lord, the Apostles, the sister- 
Saints Pudentiana and Praxedes, with the city of Jeru- 
salem in the background. Pictures of this kind are im- 
perishable, and are as fresh in our day as when seen by 
Saxon pilgrims in the seventh and eighth centuries. 

Under the high altar are preserved vases found in the 
tombs of SS. Praxedes and Pudentiana by Pope Paschal 
I, in the ninth century, probably used by them to collect 
the martyr's blood. 

In the chapel of St. Peter at the end of the left aisle is 
preserved a portion of the wooden portable altar, on which 



(1) Titulus, i.e., Church or Parish. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 99 

St. Peter offered the adorable sacrifice, whilst he lived in 
the house of Pudens. The rest of this precious relic is at 
the Lateran. In this same left aisle will be noticed 
remains of the original tessellated pavement, also the 
opening of an ancient well or reservoir, in which St. 
Pudentiana is said to have hidden the remains of some 
three thousand martyrs. 

The chapel off the left aisle, rich in marbles and sculp- 
tures, belongs to the Caetani family. 

79. — THE FAMILY OF PUDENS. 

Among the first of St. Peter's converts in I(ome were 
the senator Cornelius Pudens, his wife, the lady Priscilla, 
their son, Cornelius Pudens (junior), the lady Pomponia 
Grascina, wife of Aulus Plautius, the conqueror of Britain, 
Flavins Clemens, Flavia Domitilla, Aurelia Petronilla, 
Nereus and Achilleus, officers of the imperial household, 
— also some I(oman Knights, who, as Clemens of Alex- 
andria tells us, (P. G. tom ix, p. 749), asked St. Peter's 
disciple Mark to put down in writing what his master had 
preached to them concerning the life and teaching of our 
Divine Lord. 

A word must be said about the family of Pudens : 

(a) Quintus Cornelius Pudens, the elder, was one of the 
leading nobles of I^ome and a member of the Senate. He 
gave shelter to St. Peter in his house for several years, 
and is thought to have presented to him the curule chair, 
which the Apostle used as Bishop of Rome, and which is 
now preserved in the Vatican basilica. Till the persecu- 
tion of Nero there was no restraint on the teaching and. 
practice of the Christian religion in Rome, except for a 
time under Claudius, and when the tumults of the Jews 
made it necessary to seek safety in secrecy. It is sup- 
posed that Pudens suffered martyrdom under Nero, but 
we have no record of the fact. The name in the Roman 
martyrology seems to be that of his son. 

{b) St. Priscilla, the wife of Pudens, spent her ample 
means in relieving the poor and the imprisoned, and 
caused the famous catacomb that bears her name to be 

L.ofC. 



100 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

excavated on her own property near the Via Salaria. She 
displayed great zeal and courage in procuring the bodies 
of martyrs and giving them honorable burial. (See Roman 
Martyrol., Jan. 16). She was afterwards buried in the 
catacombs she had prepared, with Pudens, her son, and 
all his family. It is remarkable that among the inscrip- 
tions on the tombs in this catacomb the name of Peter 
frequently occurs, showing the devotion of the household 
of Pudens to the Prince of the Apostles. 

{c) St. Pudens (Quintus Cornelius Pudens, junior) was 
the son of Pudens and Priscilla, and a convert and spiritual 
child of St. Peter. Of him it is said that, after '* having 
by the Apostle's hand put on Christian baptism, he pre- 
served the robe of his innocence unspotted even to the 
crowning point of his life." (See Roman Martyrol., 
May 19.) 

He married Claudia Rufina, by whom he had four chil- 
dren, all Saints, viz., Pudentiana, Praxedes, Timotheus 
and Novatus. 

(d) Claudia I(ujinay the wife of St. Pudens, junior, and 
the mother of four saints, is said to have been a British 
lady. Some think she was a daughter of the British chief- 
tain Caractacus, who, with his wife and daughters, was led 
captive to Rome, but afterwards set at liberty. She and 
her husband are mentioned by St. Paul: *'Eubulus and 
Pudens and Linus and Claudia, and all the brethren salute 
thee." (2 Tim. iv, 21.) 

{e) SS. Pudentiana and Praxedes^ daughters of Pudens 
and Claudia, are well known for their heroic charity to the 
poor, and their zeal in rescuing the bodies and the blood 
of the martyrs from desecration. They went forth fear- 
lessly in days of persecution to gather their relics for 
Christian entombment, and their blood as a sacred memo- 
rial. They are especially noted for their pious courage in 
collecting the blood and mangled remains of St. Symme- 
trius and his twenty-two companions in martyrdom. The 
well, where they hid these remains, has been referred to 

above. 

The Narration of Pastor {written in the second century) 




S. PUDENZIANA. "CRADLE OF THE WESTERN CHURCH." 7S. 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 101 

says, that on the death of their father, "they sold their 
goods and disrtibuted the produce to the poor, and perse- 
vered strictly in the love of Christ, guarding intact the 
flower of their virginity, and seeking no glory but in vigils, 
fastings and prayer." Pudentiana went first to her re- 
ward, and was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla, near 
her parents. Eleven months after, Novatus died. Prax- 
edes survived two years, during which time she asked 
Pope St. Pius to erect a titulus, or church, in her father's 
house, or in the baths of her brother, Novatus, adjoining 
the house (a. d. 145). At length, worn out with sorrow, 
because of the persecution, she asked for death, and so 
passed to her God, her body being laid near her sister's, 
in the cemetery of Priscilla. 

Pope Paschal I conveyed the two bodies to the Church 
of St. Praxedes, in the ninth century. Their feasts are 
kept on May 19th and July 22d. 

(/) St. Novatus, son of Pudens, and his brother, St. 
Timotheus, are mentioned in the K,oman Martyrology, on 
June 20. He led a spotless life, like his father, Pudens, 
and, at his death, left his goods to Praxedes, for charita- 
ble purposes. The touching letter of Pastor to Timotheus, 
then in Britain, acquainting him with Novatus' holy death, 
will be found in F. Anderson's ''Evenings with the 
Saints," page 162. 

{g) St. Timotheus was ordained priest, perhaps by St. 
Peter, and labored for some years as an apostle in Britain. 
On his return to Rome, he won the crown of martyrdom, 
with a companion named Marcus. 

Such was the holy and illustrious family with whom St. 
Peter resided when in Rome (A. D. 42 or 43 to 50), for he 
was frequently absent on apostolical journeys. 

80. — ST. PETER IN THE HOUSE OF PUDENS. 

Here, according to a tradition that can be traced to the 
fourth century, St. Peter found hospitality, the charity 
being repaid by abundant blessings of sanctity on that 
privileged family. Here he is said to have first erected 
his Cathedra I(omana, or Episcopal throne, as Bishop of 



102 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Rome. Here he celebrated the sacred mysteries, presided 
at the synaxes or assemblies of the faithful, approved the 
Gospel written by his disciple, St. Mark, and consecrated 
St. Linus and St. Cletus, who were to be his successors. 
From that sanctuary he sent forth his disciples to preach 
the faith in Italy, Gaul, Britain, and, probably, Spain. 
We may try to recall the scene, as presented in that 
blessed home in those distant days, — St. Peter in a cara- 
calla, or long vestment, celebrating the holy mysteries, 
in the atrium of Pudens' palace. His altar was the rude 
wooden one, now reverently preserved under the lofty 
baldachino of St. John Lateran. The Senator Pudens 
and his wife, Priscilla, kneel there, side by side, with their 
young son, Pudens, whom St. Peter had baptized. The 
lady, Pomponia Graecina, wife of Aulus Plautius, is prob- 
ably there also, for she, too, is a devout Christian. They 
kneel or stand, with arms extended, the attitude of prayer 
among the early Christians, as represented in the frescoes 
of the catacombs. (1) 

At a later date St. Paul also received hospitality in the 
house of Pudens. (2 Tim. iv, 21). 

81.— BASILICA OF ST. MARY MAJOR — "OUR LADY OF 
THE SNOW." 

This is one of the largest and noblest religious edifices 
of the Christian world ; it is, also, probably the first church 
of our Lady publicly consecrated in I^ome (though some 
think this distinction belongs to Santa Maria Antiqua in 
the Forum), and, after the basilica of Loretto, is the 
greatest and most important of our Lady's sanctuaries. 
Its ancient name was Liberian Basilica, because of its con- 
secration by Pope Liberius in A. D. 360. It is also known 
as Our Lady of the Manger, from its possessing the relics 
of the Holy Manger, in which our infant Saviour was 
laid ; Our Lady of the Snow, because of the miraculous 
event mentioned below, to which it owes its origin ; St. 



(1) See F. Anderson, " Evenings with the Saints," p. 160. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 103 

Mary Major, because it ranks above all the churches of 
our Lady in Rome, and (after Loretto) in the world. 

The traditional story of its foundation is as follows : A 
K.oman patrician named John, who owned the property 
on the Esquiline hill, where the basilica now stands, had 
married a pious lady, and, having no children, he and his 
wife resolved to make our Lady heiress of all their prop- 
erty, and sought in prayer for some intimation of her will 
as to its disposal. One night both were bidden in their 
sleep to build a church on the Esquiline hill, on a spot 
which they would find on the following morning marked 
out in the snow. This happened on August 5, A. D. 358. 
As August is the hottest month of the year in Rome, a 
fall of snow at that season could only happen by miracle. 
John hastened next morning to acquaint Pope Liberius 
with the purport of our Lady's expressed wish, and found 
that the Pope had himself received a command from our 
Lady to cooperate with the pious couple in the work 
enjoined them. The Pope, accompanied by the clergy 
and people, repaired to the Esquiline, and there found 
the ground white with snow and a plan of the future 
church clearly traced thereon. The basilica was begun 
forthwith, and completed in 360. 

Some recent writers think that this story rests on insuf- 
ficient evidence, and observe that it is not found in the 
long dedication poem inscribed in marble by Sixtus IIL 
It is, however, retained in the lessons of the Feast of Our 
Lady of the Snow, August 5, and so is not without some 
authority. In the Borghese chapel of the basilica the 
miraculous snowfall is commemorated every year on 
August 5 by a shower of white rose-leaves from the dome 
during High Mass. 

82. — POPE SIXTUS III AND THE BASILICA. 

The first basilica proved too small for the crowds who 
flocked to it. Enlargement became necessary, and Pope 
Sixtus III (432-440) took the work in hand soon after his 
election, intending thus to erect a memorial to the great 
Council of Ep he sus (held in 430), where our Lady's dignity 



104 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

of ''Mother of God" {Theotokos, Deipara) had been vin- 
dicated against the blasphemies of Nestorius. 

The present nave, with its forest of white marble pillars, 
is as Sixtus III left it, in 432. Above the architrave and 
on the chancel arch, is a series of mosaics made by him, 
representing scenes from our Lady's life, also figures of 
her greatness and dignity, drawn from the Old Testa- 
ment. They were placed here as a triumph to the faith 
over Nestorianism and as a perpetual reminder of Mary's 
incomparable dignity. Over the chancel arch is the in- 
scription in gold letters : Xystus Episcopus Plebi Dei — 
''Bishop Sixtus to the people of God." Above this is 
the throne of the Lamb, as described in the Apocalypse, 
standing between the figures of SS. Peter and Paul and 
the symbols of the four Evangelists. On either side are 
displayed representations of the Annunciation, the Mas- 
sacre of the Innocents, the Presentation in the Temple, 
the Adoration of the Magi, etc., and the usual mystical 
cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, with a flock of sheep, 
type of the faithful, issuing from them. 

The mosaics of the Tribune and Apse were added by 
Nicholas IV, in the thirteenth century. 

Sixtus, moreover, assigned to the basilica an annual 
revenue of 1,600 gold crowns, and enriched its treasury 
with gold and silver chalices, patens, lamps, candlesticks, 
thuribles, etc. He also encased the high altar in silver 
plates weighing 300 pounds. 

His successors in the Papal chair emulated his zeal for 
our Lady's basilica, adding to its revenues, executing 
various works in porphyry, jaspar, agate, lapis lazuli and 
other precious stones. Princes, cardinals, laymen, all 
contributed their offerings, till the church shone with 
splendor and with beauty, both of design and material. 

83. — EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR OF THE BASILICA. 

The present facade was built by Benedict XIV, in 
1741, as also the Papal residence, which cumbers the 
sides of the church and spoils its appearance. Through 
the arches of the gallery over the entrance porch may be 



PILGRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 105 

seen the mosaics of the old facade erected by Eugenius 
III (1145-1153). The belfry is of the fourteenth century, 
erected by Gregory XI, in 1376, on his return from 
Avignon. 

In the porch will be noticed the Porta Santa, closed 
except in years of jubilee, and at the right end a bronze 
statue of Philip IV, of Spain, a generous benefactor of 
this church. As the Lateran basilica was under the pro- 
tection of the King of France, St. Paul's basilica under 
that of the Kings of England, so St. Mary Major had for 
centuries the Kings of Spain as its patrons. 

The interior is vast, rich and impressive. Two long 
rows of white marble columns (twenty in each row), sup- 
port an entablature inlaid with mosaic (fifth century 
work), and a richly carved ceiling. ''The iirst gold 
brought from America (1) gilds the profusely decorated 
roof ; the dark red, polished porphyry pillars of the high 
altar gleam in the warm haze of light ; the endless 
marble columns rise in shining ranks ; all is gold, marble 
and color." (M. Crawford.) 

The nave, 280 feet long, 60 feet broad, has a mosaic 
pavement (thirteenth century work), of beautiful design 
and of rare workmanship. 

The high altar, a Papal one, has a rich baldachino rest- 
ing on four columns of red porphyry, the gift of Benedict 
XIV. The mosaics of the Tribune, representing the Cor- 
onation of our Lady and other subjects from her life, 
were executed for Nicholas IV by Jacopo Turriti, in 
1295. 

The Confession, or crypt-like chapel in front of the 
high altar, has its walls and floor inlaid with beautiful and 
costly marbles. Beneath the altar is the body of St. 
Matthias, the Apostle. In the centre of the area is a 
kneeling figure of Pope Pius IX, of great beauty, who first 
intended this as his place of sepulture ; but after the in- 
vasion of K^ome, in 1870, he decided to be buried among 
the poor at S. Lorenzo. 



(1) Presented to Alexander VI, by Ferdinand and Isabella. 



106 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

84.— TWO PRINCELY CHAPELS IN ST. MARY MAJOR — 
1. THE SIXTINE CHAPEL. 

It receives its name Sixtine from Sixtus V, who erected 
it in 1589, the architect being Fontana. 

The eye is dazzled by its splendor ; the walls gleam 
with costly marbles and noble sculptures ; the lofty cor- 
nice is garnished with figures of angels and within the 
dome are frescoes of exquisite finish. 

In the centre of the chapel is the altar (1) of the Blessed 
Sacrament, with a large bronze tabernacle shaped like a 
temple, borne on the shoulders of angels. Beneath this 
altar is the chapel of the '^ Holy Crib,'' enshrining the 
relic of the Holy Manger, where our infant Saviour was 
laid. It is interesting to note that St. Ignatius of Loyola 
said his first Mass at this altar on Christmas night, 1538. 
Bernini's statue of St. Cajetan, embracing the Holy Child, 
is a memorial of the privilege granted to that Saint, who, 
on Christmas night, 1517, received the Divine Infant in 
his arms on this spot. 

The shrine of St. Pius V (1565-1572), on the left side of 
the Sixtine chapel, is rich with decorations of verde antico 
and gilded bronze. The saint's body, still incorrupt, is 
exposed on his feast day. On the opposite wall is the 
monument of Sixtus V (1585-1590). 

The body of St. Jerome, the great Doctor of the Church, 
translated from Bethlehem in 640, lies somewhere in this 
chapel, but the exact spot is unknown. 

2. — THE BORGHESE CHAPEL — MADONNA DI SAN LUCA. 

It was erected by Paul V (Borghese) in 1608, from the 
designs of Flaminio Pazio. 

It is said to be the richest and most beautiful chapel in 
Rome. In it ** the splendor of the entire edifice is inten- 
sified and gathered to a focus. Unless words were gems, 
that would flame with many-colored light upon the page 
and throw thence a tremulous glimmer into the reader's 



(1) A Papal one. This basilica has two Papal altars. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 107 

eyes, it were vain to attempt a description of this princely 
chapel." (N. Hawthorne.) 

Marbles of the rarest kinds, precious stones, sculptures, 
bronzes, frescoes, shine from the walls and ceiling, pre- 
senting a scene of splendor that seems almost visionary. 

In the centre of the reredos of a noble altar is one of 
K.ome's greatest treasures, the Madonna di San Luca, or 
miraculous painting of our Lady, attributed to St. Luke (1), 
which will be referred to presently, when we speak of St. 
Gregory the Great. How many saints have knelt before 
this picture — St. Francis Borgia, St. Stanislaus Kostka, 
St. Philip Neri, St. Charles Borromeo, St. John Berch- 
mans, etc. Every night, before retiring to rest, St. Stan- 
islaus, in his room at St. Andrea, prostrated himself with 
his face turned towards St. Mary Major, and recited three 
Hail Marys as a mark of his love for her, whom he cher- 
ished as his mother. Mater Dei est mater mea. 

During an epidemic of cholera, in 1837, when thousands 
were smitten by the plague and whole families were swept 
into their graves, this picture was carried through the 
streets of Rome by Gregory XVI and exposed for vene- 
ration in the church of the Gesu. 

85. — LA SANTA CULLA — THE HOLY MANGER. 

It is piously believed to be a portion of the manger in 
which our Infant Saviour was laid, and, as above stated, 
is preserved in a shrine under the altar of the Blessed 
Sacrament. It consists of two rough boards enclosed in 
a silver reliquary six feet high, adorned with bas-reliefs 
and statuettes. Every Christmas eve it is carried in pro- 
cession round the church, and throughout Christmas day 
it is left exposed for veneration on the high altar. The 
present silver reliquary was presented in 1830 by the 



(1) Some think it is a copy made in the fifth century of a very 
ancient original painted by St. Luke. Theodorus Lector, writing 
in 518, relates that such a picture drawn by that Evangelist was sent 
from Jerusalem to the Empress Pulcheria in the fifth century. 
When the Turks took Constantinople they dragged the picture 
through the streets and destroyed it. 



108 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Duchess of Villa Hermosa (1) to replace the one plundered 
by the French at the beginning of the nineteenth century, 
the gift of Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III of Spain. 
The proofs of the authenticity of this relic are con- 
sidered insufficient by some recent writers, who require 
convincing documentary evidence which, if it ever existed, 
may have perished in the length of ages. The venerable 
traditions of Rome are enough for us. We know that the 
relic has been venerated by St. Ignatius, St. Cajetan and 
other great saints, and by the Popes ; also, that in conse- 
quence of its presence the basilica has the exceptional 
privilege of containing two Papal altars — one in the grand 
nave, the other in the magnificent Sixtine chapel. St. 
Cajetan, writing to a nun at Brescia, who was a relative 
of his, says that on Christmas night (1517) he went to St. 
Mary Major to kneel before the Holy Manger, encour- 
aged by the example of St. Jerome, who had such affec- 
tion for that manger, and whose remains lie somewhere 
near it, and that while praying there with great con- 
fidence, he received the Holy Child into his arms. 

86. —SAINTS AT ST. MARY MAJOR. 

St. Gregory the Great's devotion to the picture of our 
Lady, attributed to St. Luke, is attested by the following 
fact : In 590, while the plague was making terrible rav- 
ages in Rome, the saint directed that there should be a 
general procession of penance consisting of seven different 
bodies, who were to meet at the church of St. Mary Major, 
there to implore God's mercy through our Lady's interces- 
sion. The clerics were to start from the church of SS. Cos- 
mas and Damian, the m.onks from that of SS. Gervase and 
Protase, the nuns from SS. Marcellinus and Peter, laymen 
from St. Stephen, widows from St. Euphemia, married 
women from St. Clement's, children from St. Vitalis. 
These separate bodies wended their way through the 



(1) This noble Spanish lady also presented the costly shrines for 
the heads of SS. Peter and Paul at the Lateran, the previous gold 
and silver reliquaries having been plundered by the French. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 109 

plague-stricken city, singing penitential prayers, carrying 
the relics of the saints and St. Luke's picture of our 
Lady. A mediaeval tradition states that as the procession 
filed past Ara Cceli, St. Gregory heard angels singing the 
Paschal anthem, *' Reginacoeli laetare. Alleluia," and that 
the saint added, on the inspiration of the moment, the 
words, ** Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia." 

The tradition adds, that as the procession neared the 
Vatican, an angel was seen on the summit of Hadrian's 
mole (Castel S. Angelo), sheathing his sword. 

Another tradition informs us that, while the same saint 
was singing Mass in this basilica one Easter Sunday, his 
salutation ''Pax vobis " was answered by an invisible 
choir of angels, who sang in reply, ** Et cum spiritu tuo." 
It is still the custom, I think, whenever the Pope says 
Mass in St. Mary Major, (1) not to sing the response to 
the words '' Pax vobis," but to leave it to the angels. 

St. Henry II, Emperor of Germany, while watching one 
night in this church, is said to have been favored with a 
vision of our Divine Lord and His Holy Mother, 

St. Bridget of Sweden y while praying here on the feast 
of the Purification, fell into an ecstasy and had a vision 
of the mystery and of the homage paid to our Lady by 
the angels and saints in heaven. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola (dis already stated) chose St. Mary 
Major, out of all the churches of Rome, as the one where 
he would say his first Mass. This glad event, for which 
he had prepared some eighteen months since his ordina- 
tion, took place on Christmas night, 1538, at the altar of 
the Holy Crib. 

St. Cajetan has been mentioned above. 

St. Francis Borgia, third General of the Society of Jesus, 
had a great devotion to the picture of our Lady, Madonna 
di San Liica. With the special leave of Pope St. Pius V, 
never granted before, he had an authentic copy of it 
taken, from which other copies were made and spread 



(1) Till September, 1870, the Holy Father said Mass here on 
Christmas Day, Easter and the Assumption. 



110 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

through the houses of the Society. One copy he gave 
to Blessed Ignatius of Azevedo, S.J., the story of whose 
martyrdom will be referred to when we visit the room of 
St. Stanislaus. Another copy is in the room of St. Stan- 
islaus, and a third at the Jesuit novitiate, at Castel Gan- 
dolfo, near Rome. 

St. Philip Neri, St. Charles BorromeOy St. John Berch- 
manSy often knelt with ecstatic devotion before this same 
picture. In the early morning, before the doors were 
opened, St. Philip would occasionally be found on his 
knees in the porch. 

St. Stanislaus Kostka^ the Jesuit novice, felt a special 
attraction to this sanctuary and picture. One day, as he 
was leaving the basilica, his companion, Father Emmanuel 
Sa, seeing his face flushed with holy fervor, said to him : 
" Stanislaus, you seem to love our Lady very much." 
The holy youth replied, with a heavenly smile : ** Ah, yes, 
she is my Mother ! The Mother of God is also my 
Mother! " 

Cardinal Francis Toledo (Toletus), of the Society of 
Jesus, one of the Church's greatest theological lights, 
came every Saturday morning on foot from the Vatican 
to say Mass at St. Mary Major. At his death, he be- 
queathed all his property to the basilica, and was buried 
at the foot of the left aisle near the Porta Santa, where his 
monument, erected by the Canons, may be seen. 

87. — TRAGIC OCCURRENCES AT ST. MARY MAJOR. 

In A. D. 366, a tumult here took place between the fol- 
lowers of Ursinus (who declared the election of Pope St. 
Damasus invalid, and wished to set up Ursinus in his 
place) and the adherents of the true Pope. The schis- 
matics took possession of the newly erected basilica, bar- 
ricaded themselves within, and the church had to be taken 
by assault like a fortified castle. 

About A. D. 649, Pope St. Martin I was here celebrating 
Mass, when a guard sent by the Exarch Olympius ap- 
peared on the threshold, with orders to seize and put him 
to death. It is said that the assassin hired by Olympius 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. Ill 

was suddenly struck blind as he approached the altar, 
which event led to the conversion of Olympius and many 
others. 

While Pope St. Gregory VII was here saying Mass, on 
Christmas (1) night, 1075, he was suddenly seized by Cen- 
cius and his fellow-conspirators, dragged violently from 
the altar amid blows and bloodshed, and hurried off to the 
tower of the Cenci, near the Tiber. The Roman popu- 
lace, shocked at the outrage, attacked the tower, released 
the Holy Father, and brought him back in triumph. 

88.— OUR LADY AND ENGLAND. 

Among the more precious relics preserved at St. Mary 
Major is one that is especially interesting to English pil- 
grims, viz. : the dalmatic of St. Thomas of Canterbury, 
stained with his blood. This should be a reminder to us 
not to leave the basilica without praying for poor Eng- 
land. 

What multitudes of English pilgrims, both in Saxon 
and Norman ages, have come to kneel at the foot of our 
Lady's altar before her picture in this church! After 
the visit to St. Peter's their thoughts at once turned to 
Mary's glorious basilica, and thither they hastened kin- 
dled with enthusiasm, for devotion to our Lady was ever 
a special characteristic of English Catholicism since the 
introduction of Christianity into the island. In no coun- 
try in the world, outside Italy, were there more numerous 
sanctuaries, more miraculous images, more celebrated 
shrines of our Lady than in old Catholic England. Glas- 
tonbury, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Worcester and Coven- 
try in Saxon times, Walsingham and Ipswich in Norman, 
were places of pilgrimages as well known as are now 
Genezzano and Loretto in Italy, Lourdes and La Salette 
in France. Devotion to our Lady filled the imagination 
of the architect, inspired the hand of the painter, guided 



(1) It was customary for the Popes to say their first Mass on Christ- 
mas morning at St. Mary Major, the second at St. Anastasia, the 
third at St. Peter's. 



112 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the chisel of the sculptor and welled up in the heart of 
every English Catholic, so that England became known 
among the nations of the earth by the beautiful title of 
''the Dowry of Mary." The numerous abbeys that 
dotted the land were nearly all dedicated to her. Its 
Saints, Thomas of Hereford, K,ichard of Chichester, 
Hugh of Lincoln, Wilfrid of I^ipon, John of Beverley, Bede 
of Jarrow, Edmund and Thomas of Canterbury, Cuthbert 
of Durham, Godric of Finchale, etc., were conspicuous 
for their filial piety to the glorious Mother of God. Both 
Oxford and Cambridge Universities had their celebrated 
statues of our Lady. It is before that of the former that 
St. Edmund, still a boy, made his vow of perpetual chas- 
tity and solemnly consecrated himself to his Immaculate 
Mother. 

Alas ! England has been torn away from the faith 
and is Mary's dowry no longer ; the sky is darkened with 
the clouds of heresy, the air is thick with the fogs of ig- 
norance and unbelief, its shrines and sanctuaries lie dese- 
crated, its people are distracted with conflicting doctrines, 
and, religious-minded though they are, grasp at any 
shadowy or grotesque form of belief rather than the one 
true faith that flourished in England for a thousand 
years. 

On the marble floor of St. Mary Major we kneel to offer 
a prayer for poor England ; we ask that our Lady would 
claim back her dowry, would claim what was once one of 
the brightest gems in her coronet ; that she would dispel 
the darkness and bring back the light ; that she would 
take pity on the sheep that wander without a shepherd ; 
that she would guide them gently back to the one true 
fold, out of the restlessness and darkness of unbelief into 
the sunshine and peace of the Catholic Church. 

Note. — Even Protestant poets, Hke Longfellow, Scott, 
Wordsworth, Edgar Allan Poe and others, have written 
with enthusiasm of Mary's incomparable beauty and spot- 
lessness. See Orby Shipley, Carmina Mariana^ Series 
III. 



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PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 113 

89.— SANTA PRASSEDE — CHURCH OF ST. PRAXEDES. 

Of this holy Virgin, daughter of St. Pudens, we have 
already spoken. 

The church, which is close to St. Mary Major, is very 
ancient, being mentioned in the acts of a council held in 
490. It was rebuilt by Pope Paschal I, in 822, and remains 
practically as he left it. 

The present entrance is by a side door opening into the 
right aisle, the front entrance through an atrium or open 
court being now closed. There is much to interest both 
spiritually and artistically in the interior. 

(1) The sanctuary is rich and picturesque, with a double 
flight of steps of magnificent rosso antico leading up to it. 

The high altar has a baldachino resting on four columns 
of porphyry. In the Confession beneath the high altar 
are the bodies of the sister-Saints, Praxedes and Puden- 
tiana, enclosed in ancient sarcophagi, and translated from 
the Catacomb of Priscilla to this church by Paschal I in 
the ninth century. 

(2) The splendid mosaics of the apse and chancel arch, 
the work of Paschal I (817-824), deserve especial notice. 
On the chancel arch is represented the heavenly Jerusalem 
guarded by angels, with our Lord in the centre, towards 
whom the saved are hastening. On the arch of the 
tribune, over the high altar, is the Lamb of God, with the 
seven candlesticks and the symbols of the Evangelists at 
the sides. Lower down the twenty-four elders stretch 
their arms in prayer to the Lamb. In the apse our Lord 
is represented between SS. Peter, Paul, Praxedes, Puden- 
tiana and Zeno. The figure of Pope Paschal (still living 
at the time) is introduced on the left. 

(3) In the nave may be seen the head of the well (said 
to be taken from the house of Pudens) where the remains 
of martyrs were secreted by SS. Praxedes and Pudentiana. 
The former saint is represented by a figure holding a cloth 
in which she has collected the blood of these heroic wit- 
nesses of the faith. 

(4) In the right aisle is the chapel *' Orto del Paradiso'' 
(** Garden of Paradise "), its interior entirely covered with 



114 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

mosaics on a gold ground. It was made by Paschal I in 
822 to receive the bodies of St. Zeno and companions, 
martyrs. At the entrance are two columns of black 
granite with an ancient entablature. 

(5) The Sacred Pillar of the Flagellation^ at which our 
Blessed Saviour was scourged, is preserved in a niche 
to the right of the above chapel. It is only half of the 
original pillar, the other portion being at Jerusalem. The 
marble is a kind of oriental jasper known as diaspro san- 
guigno. Cardinal John Colonna, Papal legate in Pales- 
tine, brought the relic from Jerusalem in 1223 and placed 
it in this church, where St. Charles Borromeo often 
prayed and meditated before it. In the sacristy is a fine 
painting of the Flagellation by Giulio K.omano, a pupil of 
Raphael. (1) 

(6) In the chapel of St. Charles Borromeo, off the left 
aisle, may be seen the saint's arm-chair and the table at 
which he served the poor. 

At the foot of the left aisle is a marble slab let into the 
wall, on which St. Praxedes is said to have slept. 

90. — SHRINES AND SAINTS AT S. PRASSEDE. 

The church is rich in precious relics, the chief being : 
The Holy Pillar of the Scourging ; the bodies of SS. 
Praxedes and Pudentiana ; the bodies of St. Zeno and 
2,200 martyrs, transferred from the catacombs by Paschal I 
in the ninth century (2) ; the bodies of SS. Nicomedes, 
Valentine, Candida, Zoace, etc., Martyrs : those of the 



(1) The larger Relics of the Sacred Passion preserved in ^ome are : 
The Volto Santo, or Veil of Veronica, ) ^. o. t>^<.^^). 

The Holy Lance, \ ^^ ^^' ^^^^^ ^' 

The Holy Pillar and one of the Sacred Thorns at S. Prassede. 

The title of the Cross, ] 

A large portion of the true Cross, I . c^„._ p^-.„ 

One of the Sacred Nails, f ^^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^• 

Two of the Sacred Thorns, J 

The Holy Stair, near the Lateran. 

(2) Probably from a fear of their being desecrated by the Saracens, 
as the catacombs are outside the city walls. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 115 

Popes SS. Siricius and Celestine /, translated from the 
cemetery of Priscilla. 

St. Celestine I, who died in 432, was the Pope who sent 
St. Patrick to Ireland, St. Palladius to Scotland, St. Ger- 
manus, of Auxerre, to England. A list of the other re- 
markable relics will be found on the marble tablets on the 
wall, near the sanctuary, and on the first pilaster. 

In the life of St. Bridget of Sweden^ it is stated that, 
during the ravages of that terrible scourge, *'the Black 
Death," which spread all over Europe (A. D. 1348), she 
devoted herself to her suffering brethren, with a charity 
that knew no bounds. One day, when she was coming 
out of the church of S. Prassede, she found a poor woman 
lying unconscious at the entrance. With the aid of her 
chaplain, Magnus Peterson, she carrfed her to the neigh- 
boring hospital of S. Anthony, and when the patient could 
be moved, she took her home with her, and nursed her 
with the utmost tenderness. 

St. Charles Borromeo took his title in the Sacred College, 
from this church (his first title was of S. Martino, changed 
afterwards to that of S. Prassede), and whenever he was 
in K,ome, he came to spend long hours in prayer in this 
church, occasionally passing the night in the crypt, under 
the high altar. Every day, before dinner, he distributed 
abundant alms to the poor, in the court (now disused) in 
front of the church. His rooms in the adjoining monas- 
tery (now a barrack) used formerly to be visited on his 
festival. 

While Pope Gelasius II was celebrating mass in this 
church, in 1118, he was attacked by the hostile factions 
of the Leoni and Frangipani, and was with difficulty 
rescued by his nephew, Gaetano, after several hours' con- 
flict. He fled to France, and died at Cluny. 

Close to S. Prassede, at the entrance of the Via Meru- 
lana, leading to the Lateran, is the Church of St. Alphon- 
sus de Ligouriy of the Redemptorist Fathers, a modern 
Gothic building. Within is the famous picture of Our 
Lady of Perpetual Succour, copies of which are spread 
throughout the world. It formerly belonged to the 



116 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Church of S. Matteo, in Via Merulana, now destroyed. 
Numerous ex-votos attest the miraculous favors received. 

91.— S. MARTINO AX MONTI— CHURCH OF S. MARTIN AND 
ST. SILVESTER. 

This church, one of the most ancient (it dates from the 
time of Constantine) and most beautiful of Rome, is 
served by the Carmelites, and stands in a piazza close to 
S. Prassede. The front entrance is in the Via di S. Pietro 
in Vincoli. 

An oratory is said to have been opened on this spot by 
Pope St. Sylvester in the time of Constantine, among the 
ruins of Trajan's baths; it bore the name of Titulus 
Eqtdtii, ** Church of Equitius," a priest on whose prop- 
erty it was. Pope St. Symmachus rebuilt it about A. D. 
500, and it has been several times restored, the ancient 
columns and general plan being preserved. 

The church is mentioned in the Sacramentary of St. 
Gregory the Great. 

The more interesting features of the interior are: (1) 
the nave with its twenty-four ancient columns, and its 
roof (restored by St. Charles Borromeo) richly gilt ; (2) 
the landscape paintings by Poussin, in the right aisle, 
illustrating subjects from the life of the prophet Elias ; 
(3) the frescoes of old St. Peter's, and of the old Lateran 
basiHca in the left aisle ; where also is a fresco of a coun- 
cil held in this church by Pope St. Sylvester in 326 ; (4) 
the noble sanctuary with its double flight of steps, its 
altar of costly marbles, and its apse with Cavalucci's 
frescoes ; (5) the crypt or subterranean chapel, the 
descent to which is by a marble stair in front of the sanc- 
tuary ; (6) the lower crypt, which was the original church 
opened by St. Sylvester. 

The church is rich in shrines of the saints, possessing 
the body of St. Martin, Pope and Martyr, unde rthe high 
altar: the bodies of Popes St. Sylvester, SS. Fabian and 
Soterus, the two latter being martyrs, in the crypt. 

The remains of SS. Sisinnius, Anastasius, Artemius, 
Victor I, and of a great number of other martyrs, ''whose 




ALTAR OF THE BLESSED ,SAC1<AI\IENT , ST. MARY MAJOR. 84. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 117 

names are known to God alone," were translated from 
the catacombs of St. Priscilla by Pope Sergius II (844- 
847). 

The body of Blessed Cardinal Tommasi lies under a 
side altar in the left aisle. 

92. — HISTORICAL MEMORIES OF S. MARTINO. 

Pope St. Sylvester here held two councils in 325, 326, 
at the first of which the Emperor Constantine was pres- 
ent. In the first, the heresies of Arius, Photinus, Sabel- 
lius were condemned : in the second, the decrees of the 
council of Nicaea (a. d. 325) were confirmed. 

K,ich gifts, sacred vessels of great value, embroidered 
chasubles, etc., were presented to this church by Popes 
St. Symmachus and Sergius II. The Emperor Constan- 
tine, besides chalices of gold and silver, bequeathed to it 
landed property sufficient to provide an annual revenue 
of 794 gold crowns. 

St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr, (649-655) whose body 
lies beneath the high altar, has been already mentioned 
under the tragic occurrence at St. Mary Major. The Pope, 
in a council held in the Lateran, had condemned the Mon- 
othelites with their leaders, Sergius, Pyrrhus and Paul. 
Thereupon the Emperor sent the Exarch Olympius to 
seize him and put him to death, but the assassin hired for 
the purpose was suddenly struck blind. The Emperor 
then sent Calliopas, as Exarch, who seized the Pope in 
the Lateran, treated him with the greatest barbarity and 
dragged him prisoner to Constantinople. There he lan- 
guished for three months in a loathsome prison, was ex- 
posed to public outrage in the streets, and finally banished 
to Chersonesus, where he died of starvation and brutal ill- 
treatment. 

The EngUsh Cardinal Allen had his title in the Sacred 
College from this church. 

The Carmelite convent has been nearly all pulled down 
to widen the piazza. In this convent was a night shelter 
for the poor, where St. Benedict Joseph Labre is said to 



118 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

have occasionally passed the night, when it was too wet 
or cold to sleep on the ground in the CoHseum. 

Piazza (Stazioni di Roma, p. 275) says that Pope St. 
Silvester was residing at this church at the time of the 
conversion of Constantine. 

93. — ST. PIETRO IN VINCOLI— CHURCH OF ST. PETER 
IN CHAINS. 

This beautiful church was built in 442, during the Pon- 
tificate of St. Leo the Great, by Eudoxia Licinia, daugh- 
ter of Theodosius the younger, and wife of Valentinian 
III ; hence it is called the Eudoxian basilica. (1) She 
here placed the chain with which St. Peter had been bound 
in prison at Jerusalem, brought from the East by her 
mother, Eudoxia Athenais. (2) 

Another chain of the Apostle was already venerated in 
Rome, that with which he had been fettered in the Mam- 
ertine prison. St. Leo the Great united the two, forming 
one continuous chain about two yards long. This pre- 
cious relic is preserved in a bronze safe under the custody 
of a special confraternity. Some say that the two chains 
united miraculously in the Pontificate of St. Sixtus IIL 

The church was rebuilt by Adrian I in the eighth cen- 
tury, and restored, though not judiciously, by Baccio 
Pintelli, in 1503, for Cardinal Giulio della Rovere, who 
was afterwards Julius IL 

The nave is striking, if it were not for the ugly waggon 
roof. Two long lines of antique marble columns, twenty- 
two in each line, present a noble appearance. 

The high altar was richly restored in 1876, on occasion 
of Pope Pius IX' s Jubilee. In the tribune behind the 
altar is an ancient marble Episcopal throne, probably of 
the seventh century. 

In front of the sanctuary is the Confession^ rich in pre- 

(1) An oratory is said to have existed here in 121, in which Pope 
St. Alexander I placed the chain with which St. Peter had been 
bound in the Mamertine prison. 

(2) Eudoxia Athenais was at one time a partisan of Eutyches and 
exiled to Palestine. She died in Jerusalem, in 460. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 119 

cious marbles beautifully inlaid, with an altar behind 
which are preserved St. Peter's chains. The picture of 
St. Margaret, by Guercino, on the end altar of the right 
aisle is considered a masterpiece. 

94. — ST. PETER'S CHAINS. 

There is some controversy as to whether St. Peter's 
chains were brought from Jerusalem by Eudoxia in 439, 
or by some travellers sent to the East in search of them 
by the martyr St. Balbina and her father, St. Quirinus, in 
116. Gerbet {Esquisse de R^ome, iii, p. 49 seq.) defends 
the latter opinion and says St. Balbina gave them to 
Theodora, sister of St. Hermes martyr, Prefect of Rome, 
from whom they passed into the hands of Pope St. Alex- 
ander I (108-117). St. Bede the Venerable, writing in the 
seventh century, speaks of the chains in connection with 
St. Balbina and St. Alexander. {Patres Latini, tom. 94, 
p. 498). 

Such was the reverence paid to these chains in the fifth 
and sixth centuries, \\\dX filings of them were considered 
precious relics suitable for kings and patriarchs, these fil- 
ings being usually enclosed in a gold cross or key. Such 
a relic was sent by Pope St. Hormisdas to the Emperor 
Justinian, by St. Gregory to King Childebert, to The- 
octista, sister of the Emperor Mauritius, to Anastasius, 
patriarch of Antioch, and others ; by Pope Vitalian to 
Oswy of Northumbria ; by St. Leo III to Charlemagne ; 
by St. Gregory VII to Alphonsus, King of Castile. 
These crosses and keys were often worn round the neck 
as a preservative against dangers, spiritual and temporal. 

St. John Chrysostom's words on St. Paul's chains 
apply equally to St. Peter's : '' No glittering diadeni so 
adorns the head as a chain borne for Christ. Were the 
choice offered me either of heaven or of this chain (suf- 
fered for Christ) I would take the chain. If I might have 
stood with the angels above, near the throne of God, or 
have been bound with Paul, I should have preferred the 
dungeon. Had you rather have been the angel loosing 
Peter, or Peter in chains ? I would rather have been 



120 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Peter. This gift of chains is something greater than to 
stop the sun, to move the world, or to command the 
devils." (Homil. 8, in Ephes. iii, 1.) 

95.— BODIES OF THE SEVEN MACHABEES, BROTHERS, 

MARTYRS. 

It was known by an old tradition that the bodies of 
these glorious martyrs of the Old Testament (2 Mach. vii) 
had been brought to Rome and deposited in this church ; 
but the exact spot was unknown. In 1876, during the 
restoration of the high altar, on occasion of Pope Pius IX's 
Jubilee, a Christian sarcophagus of the fourth century was 
discovered beneath the altar. It was divided internally 
into seven compartments, each containing ashes and frag- 
ments of bones. Within were found two leaden plates, 
with the inscription : In his septem locul (is) condita sunt 
ossa etcineres septem fratrum Machabeor (um) et ambor (um) 
parent (urn) eor(\xm), acinnumerabilmm aliorum Sanctorum. 

MICHAEL ANGELO'S STATUE OF MOSES AT S. PIETRO IN 

VINCOLI. 

This statue, said to be the greatest masterpiece of 
sculpture since the time of the Greeks, is full of grandeur, 
power and expression. The figure is seated, with long, 
flowing beard descending to the waist, with horned head 
and deep sunk eyes, ''which blaze, as it were, with the 
light of the burning bush with a majesty of anger that 
makes one tremble." Under his right arm he holds the 
tables of the law, and casts a look of anger on the people, 
whom he sees worshipping the golden calf. 

Others are less enthusiastic about the figure. Gerbet 
says : '* C'est grand, c'est fort, c'est charnu et musculeux, 
mais cette statue est peu reHgieuse ; ce n'est pas Moise, 
le plus doux des hommes ; c'est une espece de Jupiter 
tonnant et remuant I'Olympe par le froncement de son 
sourcil." (Esquisse de Rome, iii, 131). 

The statue was intended for the tomb of Julius II (della 
Rovere). By a strange fatality, this Pope, who had 




MICHAEL ANGELO'S SIATU'E OF M33E3. 93. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 121 

planned for himself the grandest monument in K.ome, lies 
in St. Peter's, in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, 
without a monument. 

THE MOSAIC OF ST. SEBASTIAN. 

At an altar in the left aise is a mosaic of St. Sebastian, 
represented as an old man, contrary to the general tradi- 
tion. It was placed here by Pope Agatho in 680, to ob- 
tain the cessation of the plague. ''This great plague," 
according to the legend, ''was ushered in by an awful 
vision of the two angels of good and evil, who wandered 
through the streets by night side by side, when the one 
smote upon the door where death was to enter, unless 
arrested by the other. The people continued to die by 
hundreds daily. At length a citizen learnt in a dream that 
the sickness would cease when the body of St. Sebastian 
should be brought into the city, and when this was done 
the pestilence was stayed." (Hare.) The subject is rep- 
resented in a fresco on the left of the entrance, the only 
one remaining of a series of mural paintings illustrating 
the protection of St. Sebastian, who is generally invoked 
in times of pestilence. 

At the foot of the left aisle is a fine bas-relief of St. 
Peter receiving the keys from an angel, executed in 1465, 
as a monument to Cardinal de Cusa. 

Under the fresco above mentioned is the tomb of An- 
tonio PoUaiolo, to whose skill we owe the splendid bronze 
tombs of Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII in the Vatican 
basilica. 

96. — RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF S. PIETRO IN VINCOLI 
AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. 

John II was here elected Pope in 532 and here buried 
in 534. His epitaph, removed from the nave, may be 
seen on the wall of the left aisle under the organ. 

In 1074 St. Gregory VII (Hildebrand) was elected Pope 
in this church. 

Pope Pius IX was here consecrated Bishop in 1826. 



124 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

98. — THE BATHS OF DIOCLETIAN, BUILT BY CHRISTIAN 
PRISONERS. 

An interesting description of the Christian prisoners 
erecting these baths will be found in '' Fabiola," Part II, 
chap. 20. 

The K^oman Martyrology makes mention on July 9 of 
the martyrdom in Rome of St. Zeno and 10,203 com- 
panions. These were the Christians condemned to work 
in the erection of this stupendous mass of buildings. It 
is said that crosses and other Christian marks have been 
found stamped on some of the bricks. When the gigantic 
work was completed, the poor toilers were all dragged to 
the Temple of Mars, outside the present Porta S. Sebas- 
tian©, and there cruelly massacred by order of Diocletian, 
A. D. 305. Their mangled remains were afterwards buried 
at Tre Fontane and in the catacombs, those of St. 
Zeno and 2,200 of the martyrs being transferred to S. 
Prassede by Pope Paschal I in the ninth century, as stated 
above. The church and adjoining ruins have thus a 
special and a holy interest. It is said that these baths 
contained 3,000 marble basins, a swimming piscina of 
2,400 square feet; also a library, gymnasia, club rooms, 
lecture rooms, dining rooms and spacious gardens. 

Cardinal Baronius says that 40,000 Christians were em- 
ployed in the work. The Baths are supposed to have 
been partly destroyed during the Gothic invasion of A. D. 
410. 

99.— THE GREAT CLOISTER OF SA. MARIA DEGLI ANGELI 

— RELIGIOUS MEMORIES. 

Behind the church is the noble cloister designed by 
Michael Angelo, transformed (since the departure of the 
monks in 1872) into a national museum, in which objects 
of art and antiquities discovered on government land and 
in government works are preserved. The cells of the 
Carthusians, where so many holy religious lived and died, 
may be seen, each with a little garden and fountain. 
Alas, they are now tenantless, used only as receptacles 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 125 

for sarcophagi and fragments of ancient sculpture. The 
objects exhibited are nearly all of pagan times ; though 
there are a few Christian ornaments, chiefly of gold, 
made by the Goths and Lombards. Of especial interest 
are the Anglo-Saxon coins of the tenth century, 400 in 
number, found in]1884, in the Atrium Vestae, or Vestals' 
house in the Forum. This money was probably brought 
to R.ome as Peter's Pence, and concealed to save it from 
plunder during one of the frequent tumults of those 
stormy times. 



This Carthusian monastery is connected with an event 
in the life of St. John Berchmans. A fellow scholastic 
had asked the saint to accompany him to Sa. Maria degli 
Angeli. St. John there discovered that the scholastic 
wished to leave the Society and join the Carthusians. 
Returning home he reported the matter to Superiors and 
the words he repeated on his death-bed, ** Let us go 
home, let us go home," are supposed to refer to this 
incident. 

One day as St. Philip Neri was passing the ruins of the 
baths of Diocletian, he saw, as he thought, a young man 
sitting on a low wall ; but on looking more closely and 
steadily at him, he peceived that his face was constantly 
changing, at one moment he looked young, and at the 
next, old. Philip knew it was an evil spirit, and, making 
the sign of the cross, he went boldly up to him and bade 
him depart. 

Since the expulsion of the Carthusians and seizure of all 
their property by the Italian government in 1872, the 
church has been served by the Minims, or Religious of 
St. Francis de Paula. 



In the piazza in front of the church is a large fountain, 
where the municipality of Rome erected in 1901 some 
bronze figures that are repulsive and scandalous in the 
extreme. No good Christian would look at them, and 
even a pagan with any self-respect would turn away dis- 
gusted. 



CHAPTER V. 

To St. Paul's and Tre Fontane. 

There is an electric car to St. Paul's from Piazza di 
Venezia every twenty minutes. If we prefer to go on 
foot, we can start from the Piazza del Gesii and see one 
or two interesting places on our way. 

100.— TOR DE' SPECCHI. 

Following the Via di Ara Coeli as far as the steps of the 
Capitol, and turning down the narrow street on our right 
at the foot oi the steps, we reach the famous convent of 
Tor de' Specchi, founded in 1433 by St. Frances of Rome 
for pious ladies, who wish to live retired from the world 
in poverty, obedience and self-sacrifice, but without bind- 
ing themselves by religious vows. They are called Ob- 
lates, because they make an oblation of themselves in- 
stead of the usual vows ; but in other respects they are 
like nuns, and are affiliated to the Oliveians, or white 
Benedictines. 

On the death of her husband Lorenzo Ponziano, St. 
Frances, in spite of the opposition of her son, came to 
join this community. For twenty-four years she had en- 
joyed the visible presence of an angel ever at her side : 
he now took leave of her with a benignant smile, and in 
his place another angel of a higher choir, more refulgent 
still, was ordained to stand by her. The interior of the 
convent is much as it was in the fifteenth century, the old 
chapel and the cell of the saint remaining unchanged. 

101.— PIAZZA MONTANARA. (1) 

A little further on is a square near the Amphitheatre of 
Marcellus, frequented by market people and agricultural 
laborers, who stand or lie in picturesque groups, forming 



(1) The ancient Forum Olitorium, or vegetable market. 
126 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 127 

fit subjects for artistic study. St. John Baptist de' I^ossi, 
the apostle with St. Philip Neri of the Roman poor, pity- 
ing the ignorance of these country people, came regularly 
to teach them catechism and prepare them for confession. 
St. Aloysius, who often brought poor people to confession 
at the Gesu, probably found them in or near this square. 
Along the Via Bocca della Verita and through Piazza 
Montanara, St. Frances of ^ome might frequently be seen 
dressed in an old green patched gown, leading an ass 
laden with faggots which she had gathered in her vine- 
yard near St. Paul's to distribute at the homes of the poor. 
Her relatives, friends and even servants were annoyed 
that a lady of her rank should thus demean herself ; but 
she minded not what others thought or said, and with her 
confessor's approval sought these occasions of humbling 
herself. 

102.— S. NICOLA IN CARCERE, NEAR PIAZZA MON- 
TANARA. 

This church, restored in 1599, is very ancient, dating, it 
is thought, from the sixth century, and was erected on 
the ruins of the temple of Piety, (1) the massive sub- 
structions of which may be seen in the vaults. It is dedi- 
cated to St. Nicholas of Myra, who died in 342. The high 
altar has a baldachino resting on four handsome columns 
of oriental alabaster, and beneath the altar in a splendid 
urn of dark green porphyry are the remains of St. Mar- 
celHnus, martyr, of SS. Faustinus and Simplicius, 
brothers, martyrs, and of their sister S. Beatrice, Virgin 
and Martyr. (2) 

In the church is venerated a miraculous crucifix, atso a 
copy of the picture of our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico. 

103.— CHURCH AND HOSPITAL OF ST. GALLA. 

According to an ancient tradition this was the site of 
the noble mansion of St. Galla, of whom St. Gregory the 

(1) Built by M. Acilius Glabrio, the duumvir, in B. C. 165. 

(2) Where several martyrs are in the same sarcophagus, the in- 
terior is usually divided into compartments. 



128 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Great speaks in bis Dialogues. She was daughter of 
Symmachus the younger, the most learned and virtuous 
patrician of Rome, whom Theodoric unjustly and bar- 
barously put to death. (1) 

Being left a widow while still very young, the saint 
renounced the world and its honors to retire to a poor cell 
near St. Peter's, where she led a life of constant prayer 
and great austerity, her immense revenues becoming the 
patrimony of the poor. At her death she was favored 
with a vision of St. Peter. (2) 

Our Lady is said to have here appeared to her, and a 
miraculous picture, supposed to have been brought by 
angels, was found attached to the wall. A church was 
built to honor a spot so sacred soon after her death, which 
bore the name of 6^. Maria in Porticu, (3) the miraculous 
picture of which, as well as the title of the church, were 
transferred by Alexander VII to S. Maria in Campitelli. 
The Odescalchi family then undertook to rebuild the 
ancient church and hospital of St. Galla. In this hospital 
St. Leonard of Port Maurice and Father Galluzzi, S.J., 
visited and nursed the sick, and here, at their prayers, St. 
Aloysius multiplied some woolen stuff, enough to provide 
beds for a hundred patients. St. John Baptist de'I^ossi also 
took a particular interest in this hospital and invited St. 
Leonard to come and preach the Lenten sermons in the 
church. 

104. — S. MARIA IN COSMEDIN. 
(Via Bocca delta Verita). 

This is " one of the gems of mediseval R.ome." 
Marucchi informs us that it was built in the sixth 
century on the ruins of a temple of Ceres, and of the 
** Ara maxima Herculis," the latter being a monument 
older than K.ome itself, commemorating Hercules' first 
coming to the seven hills. 



(1) Alban Butler, Oct. 5. 

(2) St. Gregory's Dialogues. Bk. iv, c. 13. 

(3) Not from the " Porticus Octaviae," but from ** Porticus Galla- 
torum." (Marucchi.) 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 129 

In 782, Adrian I enlarged the church, using for the 
apse the stones of the temple of Ceres, and decorated it 
so beautifully that it received the title of Cosmedin (from 
Kosmos, ornament). The crypt, which has the form of a 
subterranean basilica, is of this period and has long 
enshrined the remains of many saints taken from the 
catacombs. Adrian seems to have restored the church 
for the Greek refugees, driven from their country by the 
persecution of the Emperor Constantine Copronymus 
(775-780). They had a ''Schola" or assembly room 
here : hence early writers (e.g.y Siric, Archbishop of Can- 
terbury in 990,) sometimes speak of the church as Santa 
Maria Schola Grcecorum ; and it is also mentioned as 
Ecclesia Grcecorum in the Liber Pontificalis and the Itiner- 
ary of Einsiedeln ^ninth century). 

The edifice must have suffered greatly from the havoc 
caused by Robert Guiscard, the Norman, in 1084. It was 
restored by Callixtus II (1119-1124), and belonging to 
this restoration are the present portico, the presbyterium 
or sanctuary, the "Schola Cantorum " with its two 
ambones (pulpits), the high altar, the graceful belfry and 
probably the mosaic pavement : all these works were 
executed under the direction of one Alfanus, whose monu- 
ment is in the portico. There are remains also of Biblical 
paintings of this period. The busts of the prophets 
painted in the apse are remnants of earlier work. 

The interior gives a perfect idea of an early mediaeval 
Roman Church. The chief things to notice are : 

(1) The high altar with a marble canopy of Gothic 
form inlaid with mosaic, resting on four columns of red 
Egyptian granite. It is the work of Diodatus Cosimati of 
the twelfth century. Beneath, in a sarcophagus of red 
granite, are the relics of St. Cyrilla, Virgin and Martyr, 
and of SS. Hilarius and Coronatus, Martyrs. 

(2) The marble Episcopal throne in the apse behind 
the high altar, with supporting lions ; twelfth century 
work. 

(3) The picture of our Lady on the wall above the 
Episcopal throne ; it is said to have been brought from 



130 PILGRIM- WALKS IN ROME. 

Constantinople by Greek refugees flying from the fury of 
the Iconoclast Emperor, Leo the Isaurian (716-741). 

(4) The choir or **Schola Cantorum " in front of the 
sanctuary, with its marble ambones and balustrade; 
twelfth century work. 

The walls of the nave, now cold and bare, formerly 
glowed with frescoes, traces of which are still seen. 

(5) In the porch is preserved a large stone mask, that 
has no connection with the church. It was probably the 
covering of some ancient sacred well, possibly the well 
of Mercury, which Ovid (Fasti V 673) mentions as not 
far from the Porta Capena. The people call it " Bocca 
della Verita," the idea being that no one dares put his 
hand into the mouth and speak or swear falsely. 



Sf. Augustine, the great Doctor of the Church, is said 
to have taught rhetoric and philosophy somewhere in this 
neighborhood, about A. D. 384, i. e., before his conver- 
sion by St. Ambrose. 

In 1877 some excavations at the back of the church 
brought to light the fragment of a glass cup of the fourth 
century, with figures of St. Peter and another saint (St. 
Linus) cut on the glass. 

105.— ROOMS OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE' ROSSI AT S. 
MARIA IN COSMEDIN. 

St. John Baptist de' Rossi, who has been mentioned 
above (n. 103), was a canon of this church and resided 
here nine years (1738-1747), He then went to live at the 
hospital of SS. Trinita dei Pellegrmi, near Ponte Sisto, 
where he died in 1764. He was canonized by Pope Leo 
XIII in 1881. His body lies under one of the side 
altars of SS. Trinita. His rooms, adjoining the church 
of S. Maria in Cosmedin, are open to visitors on his 
feast day, and in them are exhibited his kneeling 
bench, confessional, writing table ; also many articles 
of clothing and objects of devotion belonging to him. In 
his boyhood he was a pupil of the Jesuit Fathers at the 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 131 

Collegio I(omano, and a member of our Lady's Sodality. 
He is greatly revered as the apostle of the poor. 



The interesting building, surrounded by Corinthian 
columns, that stand opposite the church, is the temple of 
Matuta (not of Vesta, though often called by this name), 
and is known to have existed in the time of Vespasian. 
The columns, originally twenty in number, are thirty-two 
feet high. It is now a chapel dedicated to 5. Maria del 
Sole. 

Close by is the Temple of Fortune {Fortuna virilis), 
originally built by Servius Tullius, but rebuilt during the 
republic. It is probably the most ancient temple surviv- 
ing in K.ome. In the tenth century it was a chapel of our 
Lady, and is now dedicated to St. Mary of Egypt. 

The electric car to St. Paul's passes S. Maria in Cos- 
medin, and we shall economize time by taking it. 

106.— THE OSTIAN WAY. 

Along this road the two Princes of the Apostles were 
dragged to martyrdom, and, according to a pious tradition, 
separated at the spot where stands the little Chapel of the 
Parting (n. 107). We may picture to ourselves the sad, 
yet triumphal, procession of the two apostles going to 
meet the death they so ardently desired, surrounded by 
soldiers and executioners, and followed by a motley 
rabble, such as Cardinal Newman describes in Callista — 
"■ filthy beggars, who, fed on the offal of the pagan sacri- 
fices, the drivers and slaughterers of the beasts sacrificed, 
who frequented the Forum Boarium)'' (near S. Maria, in 
Cosmedin,) '' tumblers and mountebanks, who amused the 
gaping market-people ; dancers, singers, pipers from the 
low taverns and drinking houses ; infamous creatures, 
young and old ; men and boys, half-naked and not half- 
sober ; wild beast keepers from the amphitheatre, troops 
of laborers from the fields " — all attracted by the excite- 
ment of the public execution of the two heads of the 
Christians, and screaming, with ruffian voices, ''Chris- 
tianos ad leones." 



132 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Close to the two saints followed a little group of their 
faithful disciples, absorbed in prayer, and weeping 
silently, wishful to receive their last blessing, and to secure 
their remains, if possible, for honorable interment. 

THE OSTIAN GATE. 

The pyramid of Caius Cestius, erected to receive his 
ashes, a little before the Christian era, was, in mediaeval 
times, known as the tomb of Romulus, and was supposed 
to be one of the two '* metae " mentioned in the early ac- 
count of St. Peter's martyrdom. (See n. 2, sec. 3.) It 
was built of brick and coated with marble. 

Formerly a splendid portico, 2,000 yards long, con- 
nected the Ostian Gate with St. Paul's basilica. It was 
supported by a thousand or more marble columns, and 
its roof was covered with sheets of lead. Adrian I is said 
to have restored it about A. D. 772. Every vestige of it 
has long since disappeared. 

107. — THE CHAPEL OF THE PARTING. 

About midway between the Ostian Gate and St. Paul's, 
will be noticed a little wayside chapel on the left of the 
road. It marks the spot where, according to tradition, 
the two apostles took leave of each other on separating 
for their respective places of martyrdom. Over the door 
is the following inscription : 

** In this place SS. Peter and Paul separated on their 
way to martyrdom, and Paul said to Peter : * Peace be 
with thee. Foundation of the Church, Shepherd of the 
flock of Christ.' And Peter said to Paul, ' Go in peace. 
Preacher of glad tidings. Guide of the just to salva- 
tion.' " 

Nearly opposite was the entrance to the vineyard of St. 
Frances of Rome, where she used to come and gather 
faggots of wood, occasionally carrying them into the 
city on her head, or leading an ass laden with them, as a 
means of self-humiliation (n. 101). 




mmmtt 




ALTAR AND TOMB OF ST. PAUL. 120. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 133 

108. — ST. PAUL'S MARTYRDOM AT THE SALVIAN 
SPRINGS, (1) i. e., TRE FONTANE. 

The great Apostle of the Gentiles suffered martyrdom 
at Aquae Salviae {Tre Fontane), the road to which branches 
to the left of the Ostian way a little beyond St. Paul's. 
It is some two miles from the basilica, and about six or 
seven miles from the K.oman Forum. St. Jerome, St. 
John Chrysostom and other early writers say that because 
of his dignity as a K,oman citizen, he was not crucified 
like St. Peter, but beheaded. From certain words of St. 
Clement of R,ome, who may possibly have witnessed 
the martyrdom, it is thought that the Emperor Nero was 
present. (2) A small cell under the church Scala Cceli Sit 
Tre Fontane is pointed out as having been occupied by 
the Apostle for some hours pending Nero's arrival ; and 
a bas-relief in the same church represents Nero as present. 

The head of the Apostle, when severed, is said to have 
made three leaps, or bounds, and at each spot where it 
alighted there burst up a fountain of clear water — whence 
the name Tre Fontane (n. 122). 

109.— THE MEMORIA, OR SEPULCHRAL CHAMBER, 
ERECTED BY POPE ST. ANACLETUS. 

The Apostle's friends would have no difficulty in ob- 
taining his remains (3), as the law allowed, in certain 
cases, the bodies of those put to death to be given to their 
friends for burial. They wrapped them in linen and 
spices, according to the Roman custom, and bore them 
reverently to a grave in the vineyard of the R,oman lady, 
Lucina, where a memoria, or mortuary chapel, was built 
in the first century, probably by St. Anacletus, similar to 
the one he had erected over the tomb of St. Peter. These 
'memori(E were respected as inviolate by the K,oman law, 
even in the case of Christian bishops. '' Such a memoria 
was probably a very tiny edifice, a room some 14 feet by 



{W Ad Aquas Salvias. 

(2) Tillemont I, Art. 50. 

{2>) AUard. Histoire des Persecutions, voL I, p. 315. 



134 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

10, with the sarcophagus in the centre. Over this, in 
many cases, an upper chamber was constructed, in which 
the Holy Sacrifice was offered immediately over the body 
of the martyr." (Thurston, S. J.) (1) 

That simple chapel remained two and a half centuries, 
till Constantine replaced it by his basilica, in A. D. 324 or 
326. 

110. — CONSTANTINE'S BASILICA OVER ST. PAUL'S TOMB. 
A. D. 324 OR 326. 

In the fifth lesson of the office for the feast of the Dedi- 
cation of the Basilicas of SS. Peter and Paul (2), we read 
that Pope St. Sylvester consecrated St. Paul's basilica, on 
the Ostian Way, which the Emperor Constantine had 
erected with royal munificence, and endowed with the 
grant of many lands and other noble gifts. 

In erecting the basiHca, the Apostle's tomb was left un- 
disturbed, and the new building was so constructed that 
the tomb should be in the centre of the apse. The edifice 
was much smaller than St. Peter's, for the reason that it 
faced the east, and the Ostian Way, which ran close by, 
prevented its extension in that direction ; but it rivalled 
St. Peter's in richness and splendor. The nave was sep- 
arated from the aisles by two rows of noble columns, 
which are said to have been taken from the Basilica 
Emilia, in the Forum. The chancel arch and the vault 
of the apse glowed with rich mosaics ; and in ornaments 
of gold, silver and bronze the Emperor washed it to be not 
inferior to St. Peter's. The Liber Pontincalis says that 
he enclosed the body of the Apostle in a bronze sarcopha- 
gus (3), and over it he placed a cross of solid gold, weigh- 
ing 150 pounds, like the one he had laid on St. Peter's 
tomb. 

The yearly endowments assigned by Constantine to this 



(1) Holy Year of Jubilee, p. 164. 

(2) Brev. Rom. November 18. 

(3) Lib. Pontif. S. Sylvester, xv. '^. "Corpus Sanctum ita re- 
condidit in aere et conclusit, sicut et Beati Petri." 



PII^GRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 135 

and the other churches founded by him in Rome, amounted 
to some £13,000 sterling, a sum equal to £50,000 or £60,- 
000 at the present day. The churches had also a yearly 
income of over £6,000 on the spices furnished by Egypt 
and the East, besides yearly contributions of spikenard, 
frankincense, balsam, storax, cinnamon, saffron and other 
precious drugs for the censers and lamps. (1) 



111.— THE THEODOSIAN BASILICA, A. D. 388— OLD ST. 

PAUL'S. 

The basilica of Constantine lasted but a short period. 
It was soon found to be too small for the numbers who 
resorted to it, and contrasted unfavorably with St. Peter's. 

In 386, Valentinian II, Theodosius and Arcadius sub- 
mitted to the Senate a plan for its reconstruction, so as to 
make it equal in size to the temple on the Vatican. '' To 
fulfill this project, without disturbing either the grave of 
the Apostle or the road to Ostia, there was but one thing 
to do ; this was to change the orientation of the church 
from east to west, and to extend it at pleasure towards the 
banks of the Tiber. . . . The new basilica was thus 
raised so as to face in a direction opposite to the usual 
one." (Lanciani.) 

It was begun in 388 and completed by Honorius in 395. 

Prudentius, the great Christian poet, writing in A. D. 
400, thus describes the new basilica : " On the other side 
(of the river) the Ostian Way marks the name of Paul, 
where the river flows against the left bank. It is a place 
of royal grandeur ; a good Sovereign (Theodosius) raised 
the fabric. The roof he covered with golden plates, so 
that it flashes like the dawn ; and underneath he drew 
four rows of pillars with carved arches." (2) 

This splendid building lasted till July 15, 1823, when it 
was destroyed by fire. 



(1) Lib. Pontif. Ibid. Alban Butler, November 18. 

(2) Marucchi. Basiliques, etc. Bussierre. Basiliques, etc. 
Thurston. Holy Year, p. 168. 



136 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

112.— DESCRIPTION OF THE THEODOSIAN BASILICA. 

The full length of the edifice was 411 feet ; the transept 
measured 279 feet; the nave and aisles, 295 by 214 feet. 

The interior consisted of a broad nave and four aisles, 
divided by four rows of marble Corinthian columns, sur- 
mounted by a fine roof of open woodwork formed of im- 
mense beams and rafters of pine. Altogether, there were 
one hundred and thirty-eight pillars of white marble, 
pavonazzo and porphyry, forming a collection that was 
unique in the world. The internal walls were covered 
with marble. The central nave terminated in the im- 
mense arch (still existing) supported by two colossal 
Ionic columns of Greek marble, which Galla Placidiay 
sister of the Emperor Theodosius, had decorated with 
mosaics in A. D. 440. Beneath this arch was the Confes- 
sion or tomb of the Apostle, whose body lay enclosed in 
Constantine's bronze sarcophagus within an outer one of 
marble. (1) 

The walls of the nave above the arches were covered 
with frescoes of the fifth century, representing Biblical 
subjects. The pavement was of marble, covered with in- 
scribed monuments. 

There were numerous chapels and shrines of the 
saints. 

113. — GIFTS OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT AND OTHER 

POPES. 

The property of Aquse Salvise (Tre Fontane), which 
belonged to the family of St. Gregory and formed part of 
his inheritance, was given by him to St. Paul's basilica 
(about A. D. 590), that the rents might be applied to pro- 
viding perpetual lights round the Apostle's tomb. He 
also added other gifts of great value. 

Popes St. Hormisdas (514), Adrian I (795), St. Leo II 
(795) enriched the basilica with gold and silver chalices 
and statues. Adrian I covered the saint's shrine with 



(1) Piazza. Stazioni di J^oma, p. 443 seq. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 137 

plates of silver and adorned it with statues of gold, (1) 
and subsequent Popes added to the splendor of the 
place. 

114.— SAINTS AT ST. PAUL'S. 

vS/. Gregory the Great had a great veneration for this 
basilica, standing, as it does, on ground rendered sacred 
by the great number of martyrs buried there. (2) 

Pope St. Paul I {7S7-7(>7), who lived and died in the 
adjoining monastery, often spent the night in prayer at 
the Apostle's tomb. 

St. Odo of Cluny, called to Rome by Leo VII in 936 to 
initiate certain monastic reforms, resided in this monas- 
tery. 

St. Bridget of Sweden frequently came to pray at St. 
Paul's tomb ; the miraculous crucifix that spoke to her 
may be seen in the first chapel to the left of the apse. 

St. Frances of R^ome would come on feast-days and the 
Lenten Station days and take her place among the poor 
beggars at the church door ; whatever alms were given 
to her she distributed among them at the end of the day. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola and his companions here made 
their profession on April 20, 1541, soon after the solemn 
approval of the Institute by Paul III. The picture of our 
Lady in the Chapel of the Crucifix (3) was on the altar 
before which they took their vows. 

St. Charles Borromeo, in the Jubilee of 1575, came on 
foot with the whole of his household to visit this and the 
other churches the prescribed number of times. 

St. Philip NerV s delight was to bring bands of young 
men to visit St. Paul's and the six other churches, sing- 
ing hymns, reciting the Rosary and other prayers on the 
way. 

St. John Baptist de' P^ossiy St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Ben- 
edict Joseph Labre were among the saintly visitants fre- 
quently seen at St. Paul's. 



(1) Piazza. Stazioni di I^o?na, pp. 442, 443. 

(2) I^egist. 1. Ill, ep. 30, ind. XIL 

(3) In the first chapel to the left of the apse. 



138 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

115.— REVERENCE OF BARBARIANS FOR ST. PAUL'S — 
DESECRATION BY LOMBARDS AND SARACENS. 

The respect shown by Barbarian invaders for St. Peter's 
was extended also to St. Paul's. 

In 455 the Vandals under Genseric, who plundered 
every other church, spared these two basilicas. 

The Goths, in their several invasions under Vitiges and 
Totila, left the treasures of St. Peter's and St. Paul's un- 
touched, and allowed the privilege of sanctuary to all who 
fled there for protection. Neither the clergy nor the 
faithful at either basilica were molested. 

In 410, the Visigoths, led by Alaric, plundered Rome. 
St. Marcella, whom St. Jerome styles the glory of the 
Roman ladies, was scourged by them to force her to give 
up the treasures she had long before distributed among 
the poor. Regardless of her own sufferings, she trembled 
only for her dear spiritual daughter, Principia, and falling 
at the feet of the cruel soldiers, she begged with tears 
that they would offer no insult to that child. God moved 
the fierce Northerners to compassion. They conducted 
both to St. Paul's basilica, to which (as well as to St. 
Peter's) Alaric had granted the right of sanctuary, and 
told them they would be safe there. (1) 

Other fierce marauders showed no respect for these 
sanctuaries. 

In 739, during the Pontificate of St. Gregory III, the 
basilica was plundered by the Lombards, under Luitprand. 

In 1773, it was again pillaged by them, but on this occa- 
sion Adrian I had time to hide its treasures within the city. 

In 846 it was seized and plundered by the Saracens, but 
Pope Sergius III had masked the entrance to the Confes- 
sion, or crypt, so cleverly, that the spoilers never found 
the Apostle's tomb. 

Under St. Gregory VII (1073-1087), the basilica was 
desecrated and sacrilegiously occupied by Henry IV, of 
Germany. 



(1) Alban Butler, Jan. 31. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 139 

116.— ENGLAND AND ST. PAUL'S. 

It is interesting to note that the Kings of England, up 
to the time of the ^.eformation, were the protectors of this 
basilica, as the Kings of France were the patrons of the 
Lateran, and those of Spain of St. Mary Major. In the 
arms of the monastery may still be seen the device of the 
Order of the Garter. 

The Anglo-Saxon saints, kings, churchmen and lay- 
men, who came so often on pilgrimage to Rome, must 
have paid repeated visits to St. Paul's. The noblest 
church in London, after Westminster Abbey (dedicated 
to St. Peter), was St. Paul's Cathedral, a Gothic edifice, 
with some twenty altars, and between thirty and forty 
canons, prebendaries, beneficiaries and chaplains attached 
to it. 

117.— THE BURNING OF ST. PAUL'S IN 1823. 

The glorious Theodosian basilica, one of the wonders 
of the ecclesiastical world, which had escaped the modern- 
izing mania of the ^.enaissance, perished almost totally 
by fire on the night preceding Pius VII's death, July 15, 
1823. He had been a monk at St. Paul's before he was 
made Bishop of Imola, and they dared not communicate 
to him the terrible news. 

Through the negligence of some workmen employed to 
do certain repairs, the roof caught fire, and, blazing 
fiercely, crashed down into the nave and aisles, where the 
flames raged with such fury that all the marble columns, 
except forty in the side aisles, were completely calcined, 
and the porphyry columns surrounding the Apostle's 
tomb split into fragments. Pictures, marbles, mosaics, 
monum.ents, nearly all perished. 

Cardinal Wiseman describes the terrible catastrophe in 
his '' Recollections of the Last Four Popes." 

The only portions spared by the devouring flames were 
the western fa9ade, with its mosaics of the thirteenth cen- 
tury ; the great arch of Galla Placidia, with its splendid 
mosaics of the ^//^ century; the mosaics of the apse of 



140 PIIvGRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 

the thirteenth century ; some of the mosaic portraits of the 
Popes ; a colonnade erected by Benedict XIII ; forty 
columns in the aisles, and a few ancient monuments. The 
loss of monuments, shrines and inscriptions marking the 
tombs of the saints was the most deplorable of all. 

The fine old mediaeval cloister (thirteenth century), with 
arcades supported by beautiful coupled columns of various 
shapes, was also uninjured. This and the apse, and the 
great arch of Galla Placidia, with a few other fragments 
of the edifice mentioned above, are nearly all that remains 
of Old St. Paul's. 

118. — THE BUILDING OF NEW ST. PAUL'S. 

Steps were at once taken to restore the basilica, and con- 
tributions were sent from all the Catholic countries in 
Europe. Under Leo XII, the majestic edifice began 
gradually to rise from its ashes. (A. D. 1825.) In the 
work of rebuilding, the plan and dimensions of the Theo- 
dosian basilica were adhered to. 

In 1840, the transept and high altar were finished and 
consecrated by Gregory XVI. 

On December 10, 1854, the superb edifice was com- 
pleted and solemnly consecrated by Pius IX, in presence 
of 185 prelates, including cardinals, archbishops and 
bishops, assembled in Rome for the proclamation of the 
Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Their names are 
recorded on the marble tablets inserted in the walls of the 
apse. 

119. — DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT BASILICA. 

The western facade is resplendent with rich mosaics 
and approached through a pillared portico and atrium of 
great architectural beauty. 

The side entrance, leading into the transept, has a por- 
tico with twelve marble columns. 

The interior is magnificent, more impressive, in some 
ways, than St. Peter's. The best view is from the west- 
ern entrance. We seem to be gazing at a very forest of 
gigantic granite columns, each a single block. The won- 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 141 

der is how they were quarried and how conveyed to their 
present site. The roof is of carved woodwork, coffered 
and richly gilt. The walls on all sides glow with color, 
being incrusted with costly marbles ; and the marble 
pavement reflects the beauty of the interior on its polished 
surface. The scene is one of chaste magnificence. Above 
all the eye is attracted to the immense arch of Galla Pla- 
cidia over the tomb of the Apostle, and its wonderful fifth 
century mosaics. 

The two altars of malachite at the ends of the transepts 
were presented to Pope Gregory XVI by the Czar Nicho- 
las I of Russia. (1) 

With all its splendor, St. Paul' s will strike some visitors 
as too bare and cold ; they would like to see more altars, 
more shrines, more lamps, more holy pictures with pious 
persons kneeling before them. 

120.— THE TOMB OF THE APOSTLE. 

The high altar stands over the Apostle's tomb. Infor- 
mation on the latter will be found in Padre Grisar's / 
Papi del Medio Evo and Marucchi's Basiliques de R^ome. 

The altar has a Gothic canopy made by Arnolfo del 
Cambio (1285), resting on four columns of red porphyry; 
and this, again, is surmounted by a baldachino upheld 
by four splendid columns of oriental alabaster, the gift of 
Mahomet Ali of Egypt to Gregory XVI. The bases are 
inlaid with malachite. 

The marble paschal candlestick on the right of the altar 
belonged to the previous basilica, and is a curious speci- 
men of mediaeval sculpture. 

In front of the altar is the tomb of St. Timothy, 
martyr. 

The two colossal statues of the Princes of the Apostles 
are by Giacometti and Revelli. 

Kneeling in front of the tomb of the great Apostle of 



(1) On the meeting of Pope and Emperor, see Cardinal Wise- 
man's Last Four Popes under Gregory XVL 



142 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the Gentiles we may recall the words of St. John Chrys- 
ostom : 

" Show me the tomb of Alexander ; tell me the day of 
his death. You cannot. Yet the glorious body of Paul 
may be seen by anyone who will visit the royal city, and 
the exact day of his death is known to the whole world. 
The deeds of Alexander are forgotten, even by his own 
nation ; those of Paul are known even by barbarians, and 
the tomb of the servant of Christ is more glorious than 
the palaces of kings." (1) 

Again: "Who will grant me the privilege to embrace 
the body of Paul, to fix my eyes on his tomb, to see the 
dust of his mouth — that mouth with which he spoke be- 
fore kings, with which he silenced tyrants and made the 
whole world draw nearer to God ! — the dust of his heart, 
that heart which was capacious enough to embrace whole 
cities, peoples, nations ! — the dust of his hands, those 
hands which were fettered with chains, and with which 
he wrote his epistles ! — the dust of those feet which trav- 
ersed the universe and were not weary." (2) 

121.— SHRINES— GREATER RELICS. 

1. The body of St. Paul the Apostle. 

2. The bodies of St. Timothy, M., of SS. Julian, Cel- 
sus, Basilissa, Anastasius, Felix III, and many others. 

Note. — Many shrines and monuments perished in the 
great fire of 1823, and the places of the tombs can no 
longer be identified. 

3. The chains of St. Paul and part of his staff. 

4. The miraculous Crucifix that spoke to St. Bridget of 
Sweden. 

5. Countless other precious relics preserved in the Sac- 
risty and Monastery. 



(1) Homil. 26 in 2 Cor. 

(2) Homil. in Rom. Homil. 4 in 2 Tim. 



PILGPaM-WALKS IN ROME. 143 

122. — TRE FONTANE — AD AQUAS SALVIAS. 

(About two miles beyond St. Paul's.) 
The electric tramway goes no further than St. Paul's, 
but cabs may easily be had. It will save time to take one 
to Tre Fontane, but be careful first to arrange with the 
driver, that you will pay two francs an hour, with an extra 
franc for a half-hour that may be over. 

Tre Fontane is the scene of St. Paul's martyrdom, a 
holy spot, full of interest, rich in holy memories. (1) 

There are three churches, close together, within the 
monastic enclosure (2), viz. : SS. Vincenzo ed Anastasio, 
S. Maria Scala Coeli, S. Paolo alle Tre Fontane. A Trap- 
pist Father usually accompanies visitors. 

(1) The Basilica of SS. Vincenzo ed Anastasio. 
(Of the eighth century.) 
This ancient church is simple and unadorned, yet with 
its whitewashed walls, its timber roof, its windows of per- 
forated marble, it is very venerable, and many will find it 
more devotional than all the splendor of St. Paul's. 
Among its relics is preserved the miraculous picture of St- 
Anastasius M. (d. 628), before which, according to the 
acts of the Seventh General Council (A. D. 680), the demons 
trembled. 

St. Bernard of Clairvaux spent long hours in prayer in 
this church. 

(2) 5. Maria. Scala Coeli. 

The church covers the spot where St. Zeno and his 
10,203 companion-martyrs lie buried. (See n. 98). 

St. Bernard here had a vision (represented in the paint- 
ing over the altar) of souls released from purgatory 
ascending to heaven up a stair of light : hence the name 
Scala coeli. 

In the crypt is the altar at which St. Bernard said 



(\) A memorial chapel was erected here in the fifth century. 
(2) Tre Fontane was given to the Trappists, or Reformed Cister- 
cians, by Pius IX in 1867. 



144 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Mass, and behind is shown a dark cell, where St. Paul is 
said to have been confined, just before his martyrdom. 

(3) 5. Paolo alle Tre Fontane. 

This sanctuary is on the very site of St. Paul's mar- 
tyrdom. Here may be seen: 

(1) The low marble column to which the Apostle is 
said to have been bound at the time of his execution. 

(2) The three fountains that burst up on the spots 
where his head, which made three leaps when severed, 
touched the ground. The fountains are in monuments of 
colored marbles. 

(3) An ancient mosaic floor, with representations of the 
seasons, found at Ostia and placed here by Pius IX. 

(4) The Trappist Monastery. 

This ancient monastery was the home for a time of St. 
Bernard. The old cloister and chapter room are the same 
as in his day. Eugenius III, before his elevation to the 
Papacy, was abbot here. The monastery stands amid 
large groves of Eucalyptus, planted as a preservative 
against malaria. In 1867, it was bestowed by Pius IX on 
the Trappists, who have reclaimed all the surrounding 
ground, formerly a swampy desert. At first the mortal- 
ity among the monks was terrible, because of malaria ; 
but a remedy has been found in the Eucalyptus. 

The electric car leaves St. Paul's every twenty minutes, 
for the Piazza di Venezia. It was a pious custom of pil- 
grims in mediaeval times, on returning from St. Paul's, to 
pray for the victims of the plague, who were buried in a 
field somewhere between the basilica and the Ostian Gate. 



CHAPTER VI. 

To S. Lorenzo Outside the Walls, and to Santa 
Croce in Gerusalemme. 

123.— santa bibiana. 

From the broad square in front of the railway station 
{Piazza de' Termini) , may be seen to the left the Church 
of the Sacred Heart, built by the Salesians of Don Bosco, 
in 1887, to which is attached a large industrial school. 
Both exteriorly and interiorly the church is rich and beau- 
tiful, and its side altars have a special interest, having 
belonged to the churches of St. Teresa and St. Caius, de- 
stroyed in 1886 to make room for the huge War Office in 
Via Venti Settembre. 

On our right is the Istituto Massimo, a Jesuit college, 
for day scholars, frequented by over 600 boys. It occupies 
the site of the Villa of Sixtus V. 

Following the street, on the right of the station ( Via 
Principessa Margherita), and passing a broad piece of 
waste ground {Piazza Gulielmo Pepe), where showmen and 
caterers of popular amusement, the lowest of their tribe, 
have pitched their shabby tents and booths, we reach, on 
our left, the little church of St, Bibiana, that stands in a 
retired corner, as if shrinking from its present vulgar sur- 
roundings. Formerly the neighborhood was beautiful and 
park-like ; it is now vulgarized by the adjoining show 
ground. 

The site where the church stands was occupied in the 
fourth century by the mansion of a .noble family, viz., 
Flavian, who had been Prefect of Rome ; his wife, Dafrosa, 
and their two daughters, Bibiana and Demetria. All four 
suffered martyrdom in the persecution of Julian, the apos- 
tate. Flavian was deposed from his high office, branded 
in the face with a hot iron and banished to Acquapendente 

145 



146 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

{Aquce Taurince), where he died of his wounds a few days 
after. Dafrosa was beheaded. Demetria and Bibiana 
were deprived of all their goods and reduced to great pov- 
erty. After five months they were arrested by Aproni- 
anus, when Demetria, worn out by privations, after making 
a glorious confession of her faith, fell down and expired 
at the foot of the tribunal, in the presence of the judge. 
Bibiana, after resisting the blandishments of a wicked 
woman, named Rufina, sent to try her virtue and con- 
stancy, was ordered to be tied to a pillar and scourged 
with whips {plumbatis, i. e., thongs loaded with leaden 
plummets) till she expired. Her body was left in the 
open air, in the Forum of Taurus (1), that it might be a 
prey to beasts ; but having lain exposed two days, it was 
buried at night, near the palace of Licinius, by a holy 
priest, named John (2) A. D. ?>6?>. 

In the year 465, a church was built over her tomb by a 
pious lady, named Olympia, and consecrated by Pope 
Simplicius. Honorius III repaired it in 1224, when it had 
fallen into decay. It v/as afterwards united to St. Mary 
Major, and Urban VIII rebuilt it in 1628, placing the 
relics of SS. Bibiana, Demetria and Dafrosa under the 
high altar. 

The objects that specially claim attention in the interior 
are (1) the beautiful statue of St. Bibiana, by Bernini, 
over the high altar ; (2) the shrine of oriental alabaster en- 
closing her remains and those of her mother and sister, 
under the high altar ; (3) the column of red porphyry at 
which she was scourged ; it is near the entrance and pro- 
tected by an iron grating ; (4) the beautiful frescoes by 
Ciampelti and da Cortona, in the nave. 

There was a convent here in the thirteenth, fourteenth 
and fifteenth centuries, and some interesting monuments 
of the nuns may still be seen. 

A nightly service is held throughout the year in this 



(1) Forum Tauri, near the Porta Tiburtina, or Gate to S. Lorenzo. 
On the keystone of the arch is carved the head of an ox ftaurus'i. 

(2) Alban Butler, December 2. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME:. 147 

church in reparation for all the sins and scandals com- 
mitted in the neighboring show-ground. 

124.— GATE OF S. LORENZO— PORTA TIBURTINA. 

This ancient gate through which so many martyrs have 
passed, reminds us of an incident in the life of St. Bridget of 
Sweden. She was on her way to S. Lorenzo, accompa- 
nied by her daughter, St. Catherine, when they were here 
seized by a lawless Roman Baron and his soldiers, who 
had been watching for an opportunity to carry off Cath- 
erine and compel her to be his wife. The wretch was 
instantly struck blind, and full of remorse and fear, he 
followed the two holy women to S. Lorenzo, imploring 
them to intercede with God in his behalf. As they en- 
tered the basilica and prayed for him, the light of grace 
shone on his soul, and the light of day again illumined his 
darkened eyeballs. 

Near this gate formerly stood a chapel of St. Januarius, 
where a certain dyer, head of his profession, but a bad 
man, was buried. St. Gregory says his body was cast 
out of this church mysteriously, as unworthy to lie in 
holy ground. (1) 

125. — THE APPROACH TO S. LORENZO. 

This neighborhood, so beautiful once, is now the re- 
verse of picturesque, being spoilt by the squalid jerry- 
built blocks of houses that line the row. Suddenly the 
scene changes as we approach S. Lorenzo. Those who 
make the visit to the seven churches would do well to try 
to be at S. Lorenzo about the hour of sunrise. The 
grand old basilica at that early hour, shining in the morn- 
ing light, seems like a vision of another world, far re- 
moved from the petty cares and miseries of this. Its grey 
venerable walls, its ancient portico, its detached tower, 
its frescoed facade, its encircling trees, all flooded with 
the magic radiance that bursts from the East, make it 
seem a fit abode for angelic beings. In the distance lies 



(1) S. Gregory's Dialogues, bk IV, c. 54. 



148 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the far-stretching plain of the Campagna, with its fresh 
green throwing out the clear red lines of the aqueducts, 
the background being framed by the purple hills of 
Tivoli and Albano. 

In the early morning of April 20, 1541, St. Ignatius of 
Loyola, and his first companions, making the visit to the 
seven churches, came to kneel at S. Lorenzo and prepare 
for their solemn K,eligious Profession at St. Paul's. In 
their company we enter the venerable old pile, so dear to 
pilgrims, so impressive, with *'its magnificent columns, 
its beautiful pulpit, its wide portico, with half-effaced 
frescoes, its rare mosaics, those paintings in stone, which 
time itself cannot destroy." (Lady G. FuUerton.) 

St. Lawrence, archdeacon of K.ome under Pope St. 
Sixtus II, suffered in the persecution of Valerian, A. D. 
258, being roasted on a gridiron over a slow fire. (n. 76.) 
Previously to his appointment as archdeacon, he had 
been the almoner of St. Cyriaca on the Ccelian. (n. 62.) 
His meeting with St. Sixtus, as the latter was being 
dragged to martyrdom, will be referred to later, (n. 191.) 
The story of his presenting the treasures of the church 
to the Prefect Cornelius Saecularis has been told. (n. 96.) 

126. — BURIAL OF ST. LAURENCE IN THE CATACOMB OF 
CYRIACA ON HER VERAN ESTATE. 

St. Ado of Vienne, writing in the ninth century, says : 
"On the following morning {i.e., after the martyrdom), 
before dawn, Hippolytus (1) carried off the body, em- 
balmed and wrapped it in linen cloths, and then intimated 
to Justinus, the priest, what he had done. Then blessed 
Justinus and Hippolytus weeping and in mourning, bore 
the blessed martyr's body on their shoulders to the prop- 
erty of the matron Cyriaca, her Veran estate on the road 
to Tibur (Tivoli), where, in the evening, they gave it 
honorable burial." It is probable that Cyriaca and many 
other Christians took part in this last act of sorrowing 



(1) A Knight converted by the saint. He also suffered martyrdom. 




^ 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 149 

affection, following the young saint's charred remains, as 
they were carried into the recesses of the catacombs. 

St. Ado further remarks that they spent three days in 
prayer and fasting near his tomb, and that Justinus, the 
priest, offered up the Holy Sacrifice, of which all partook, 
/. e.y at which all received Holy Communion. (1) 

The saint's remains still lie in the same spot where 
they were first laid by Hippolytus and Justinus. Through 
all the changes and vicissitudes of centuries they have 
never been moved but once, and that was when St. Syl- 
vester placed them in a new and more splendid shrine, 
after Constantine had built the basilica over the tomb. 

127. — CONSTANTINE'S basilica — DEVOTION TO ST. LAU- 
RENCE IN THE FIFTH CENTURY. 

Constantine erected a noble basilica over the saint's 
tomb in the year 330, (2) soon after the completion of the 
Lateran and the Vatican basilicas. The tomb was left 
undisturbed, the high altar being placed right over it. 
The orientation of Constantine's edifice was exactly the 
opposite of the present arrangement ; the apse was where 
the upper part of the present nave is, near the pulpit, and 
the nartheXy or vestibule, with entrance door, was where 
the tomb of Pope Pius IX is placed. The level was that 
of the mortuary chapel of Pius IX. The raised (3) sanc- 
tuary or choir, approached by two flights of steps on each 
side of the Confession, is the nave of the original church 
of Constantine, with its twelve splendid fluted columns 
of pavonazzo, two of the capitals bearing trophies ; its 
rich entablature formed of antique fragments, joined to- 
gether without uniformity ; its gallery supported by 
twelve smaller columns. The original level may be seen 
by looking over the [marble screen round this choir. 
The rubbish with which Honorius III had filled up the 
space to a height of some six feet, was cleared away in 



(1) See Bollandus. Acta Sanctorum^ Aug. 10. 

(2) Anast. Biblioth. Liber Ponti/icalis, n. Ai. 

(3) The level of the Sanctuary was raised by Honorius HL 



150 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

1864. The mosaics on the inside of the chancel arch are 
the work of Pelagius II (sixth century). 

Anastasius Bibliothecarius (ninth century) gives a Hst of 
Constantine' s gifts to the saint's shrine, including columns 
of porphyry, large plates of silver with embossed repre- 
sentations of the saint's martyrdom, silver lamps, bronze 
candelabra, gold and silver chalices, besides extensive 
grants of land. 

The costly presents made by the Popes are enumerated 
in Bollandus (Acta SS. August 10, n. 8, p. 486), and will 
be referred to below. 

In 557 the tomb was opened by Pope St. Pelagius I, to 
place the body of St. Stephen, the protomartyr (translated 
from Constantinople) beside that of St. Laurence. (1) 

Prudentius, writing in the fifth century, tells us that the 
illustrious patrician families of Rome used to go and kneel 
at the martyr's tomb, and exclaims: ''Oh, thrice, four 
times, seven times blessed the citizen of Rome, who can 
honor St. Laurence at his very shrine ; who can kneel be- 
fore it and bedew the pavement with his tears ; who can 
press his lips to the ground, and there pour out his 
whispered prayer." (2) He adds that few know how full 
Rome is of saints and sanctuaries, and how thickly her 
soil is covered with the tombs of martyrs. 

128.— HONORIUS Ill's ALTERATIONS IN THE BASILICA. 

Restorations were made by Pelagius II in 578, and the 
mosaics on the inner side of the chancel arch are his work, 
as stated above. 

St. Gregory the Great, in a letter to Constantia 
Augusta, relates that Pelagius II, anxious to find the 
exact spot where the body of the saint lay, ordered search 
to be made. The workmen (monks and laymen) came 
across and opened the sarcophagus. Within ten days all 
who had ventured to look at the relics died. 



(1) On the finding of the body of St. Stephen. See Alban Butler, 
August 3, Brev. Rom., August 3. 

(2) Bolland. Acta SS. August 10, p. 516. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 151 

In the early part of the seventh century, a second and 
larger church was erected over the catacomb of Cyriaca, 
adjoining and in Une with Constantine's church, the outer 
walls of both apses touching each other. (1) 

In the thirteenth century Honorius III removed both 
apses and connected the tv/o edifices, giving the building' 
its present somewhat irregular form. The second church 
thus became the present long nave, and Constantine's 
church was converted into the raised sanctuary and choir, 
the spaces outside the columns being filled with earth to 
the level of the raised choir. He also added the present 
portico with its interesting frescoes. 

129.— THE PORTICO OF HONORIUS III. 

The entrance porch is borne by six ancient columns 
with an architrave, on which are mosaics well preserved. 
The frescoes inside the porch (thirteenth century) repre- 
sent incidents in the life of St. Laurence. Two ancient 
tombs and two rude Christian sarcophagi stand near the 
entrance. 

In this porch St. Philip Neri was occasionally found 
kneeling in the early morning, when the church doors 
were opened. Here, too, St. Frances of R.ome used to 
sit among the beggars from sunrise till vesper bell, ask- 
ing alms for her poor sick in Trastevere, and for herself 
in the days of her distress. 

The basilica seems formerly to have had an atrium or 
entrance court, the lines of which are marked out by 
stones. 

130.— INTERIOR OF S. LORENZO. 

(1) The Nave, as stated above, was formed by Hono- 
rius III out of the seventh century church, that stood in 
line with Constantine's basilica. The twenty-two ancient 
columns of granite and cipollino present a noble appear- 
ance. The walls above the entablature are decorated 
with exquisite frescoes, the work of Fracassini and 



(\) The two churches faced in opposite directions. 



152 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Grandi, executed for Pius IX, about A. D. 1856. They 
represent scenes in the Hves and martyrdom of St. Lau- 
rence and St. Stephen, the conception, treatment and 
coloring being admirable. The mosaic pavement is of 
the tenth century ; the roof, of open wood-work, is prob- 
ably of the thirteenth. 

Of the *'Schola cantorum " with its marble balustrade 
(like S. Clemente's), only the two marble ambones inlaid 
with serpentine and porphyry and a wreathed candela- 
brum remain : they are of the twelfth century. 

In the ancient sarcophagus inside the entrance to the 
church was buried Cardinal Freschi, nephew of Inno- 
cent IV, who died in 1256. (1) 

(2) The Sanctuary and Choir, approached by two flights 
of steps on each side of the Confession, are the original 
church of Constantine, as explained above. The ancient 
Episcopal throne and the mosaic screen, with panels of 
porphyry and serpentine should be noticed. 

The high altar has a canopy resting on four columns of 
porphyry and bears the date 1148. 

(3) The Shrine. In the Confession or crypt chapel be- 
low the high altar are the bodies of St. Laurence and 
St. Stephen, enclosed by Pelagius II in a silver shrine, 
St. Stephen's body having been translated from Constan- 
tinople in 557. Behind the shrine is preserved a marble 
slab, on which the body of St. Laurence is said to have 
been laid, the dark stains being thought to be his blood. 

131.— TOMB OF POPE PIUS IX. 

This illustrious Pontiff, who at first fixed on St. Mary 
Major as his place of sepulture, altered his intention after 
the invasion of Rome in 1870. In his last testament he 
expressed his wish to be buried among the poor at 
S. Lorenzo, with a very simple monument over his 
grave that v/as to cost no more than five hundred scudi, 
and that the guardianship of his tomb should be confided 
to the Capuchin Fathers. 



(1) It is sculptured with a wedding scene and stands beneath a 
mediaeval canopy. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 153 

While respecting his last wish as to the simplicity of his 
monument, the devotedness of the faithful of every land 
found means to transform what was before a dim vault, 
into a shrine covered with marbles and mosaics, gleaming 
with artistic beauty. 

The fiendish outrage at his funeral has been mentioned 
above (n. 34). The funeral cortege reached S. Lorenzo 
at 1.45 A. M. (July 13th, 1881) ; the old basilica was ablaze 
with light, and a plain dirge was sung by the Capuchin 
Fathers, after which the remains of the great Pontijff of 
the Immaculate Conception were consigned to their last 
resting place. 

132.— GIFTS OF EARLY POPES. 

St. Sixtus III (432-440) adorned the Confession with 
porphyry columns and paved the floor with the same 
precious stone. He enriched the altar with silver orna- 
ments and a silver statue of St. Laurence weighing two 
hundred pounds. Round the shrine he placed a silver 
screen that weighed three hundred pounds. (1) 

St. Hilary (461-467) founded a monastery next the 
church, and made rich presents of gold and silver chalices, 
lamps, etc., some studded with jewels. (2) 

St. Anastasius II (496-498) further embellished the 
shrine with silver ornaments weighing two hundred 
pounds. 

John I, in 525, here offered many of the rich presents 
sent him from Constantinople by the Emperor Justin. 

The church and shrine became exceedingly rich and 
tempted the rapacity of invading armies. In 455 they 
were plundered by Genseric and his Vandals ; in 568 by 
the Lombards. After this second desecration the church 
was left to fall to ruin, till restored by Pelagius II in 
578. 



(1) Anastas. in Six to III. 

(2) Anastas. in Hilar. 



154 PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 

133.— MEMORABLE EVENTS. 

In the fourth century Pope St. Damasus here held a 
council against Apollinarius, at which St. Jerome, St. 
Paulinus of Antioch, St. Epiphanius of Salomis were 
present. 

In 578, during the restorations made by Pelagius II, the 
shrine of St. Laurence was accidentally opened. (See n. 
128.) 

St. Gregory the Great here delivered his 19th, 24th, 
31st and 40th homilies. 

In the sixth century the church was served by Benedic- 
tine monks, in the tenth century by Cluniacs. Sixtus IV 
introduced the Canons Regular of the Lateran. In 1854, 
Pius IX appointed the Capuchins over the church and the 
adjoining cemetery. 

In 1217, Peter Courtenay, Count of Auxerre, with 
lolanthe, his wife, here received the imperial crown of 
Constantinople from Honorius III. 

St. Frances of Rome and St. Bridget of Sweden, with 
her daughter, St. Catherine, have been mentioned above 
as frequenting this basilica. 

134. — CATACOMBS OF ST. CYRIACA AND ST. HIPPO- 
LYTUS. 

St. Cyriaca, the rich Roman Lady whose almoner St. 
Laurence was, before he was appointed the Pope's Arch- 
deacon, owned extensive property in this neighborhood 
known as Ager Veranus. It was partly enclosed by cliflfs, 
that had been perforated in order to obtain the valuable 
cement known diSpozzolana. The early Christians extended 
these galleries or crypts, using them as places of sepul- 
ture, and also of assembly in times of persecution. They 
are said to reach as far as S. Agnese. 

The entrance to the Catacombs is at the end of the left 
aisle of the basilica, where there is a subterranean chapel ; 
but no one is now allowed to enter them, as they have 
been much injured in the works for the new cemetery, 
and many of the galleries have fallen in. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 155 

Many martyrs were buried here, the chief being : 

(1) St. Laurence, the archdeacon. 

(2) St. Cyriaca, who after being despoiled of her goods, 
was scourged to death. 

(3) St. Severus, priest; St. Claudius, sub-deacon; SS. 
I^omanus and Crescentius, lectors ; all intimate friends of 
St. Laurence. 

(4) SS. Irenseus and Abundius, cast into a cloaca by 
order of Valerian. Their bodies were rescued by St. 
Justin, the priest. 

(5) St. Tryphonia and her daughter, St. Cyrilla. 

(6) St. Justin, the priest, who here buried many of the 
above, and was himself, at length, crowned with mar- 
tyrdom. 

Four Popes had their tombs here, viz. : St. Zozimus 
418, St. Sixtus III, 440, St. Hilary, 467, and Damasus 
II, 1048. 

CATACOMB OF ST. HIPPOLYTUS. 

It is close to S. Lorenzo, on the other side of the road. 
St. Hippolytus was the officer appointed to guard St. 
Laurence in prison, and who, being converted by him, 
was dragged to death by wild horses, after seeing 
nineteen of his household suffer before his eyes. They 
were all buried by St. Justin, the priest, in this cemetery, 
which formed part of the catacomb of Cyriaca. It is 
thus described by the Christian poet, Prudentius, who 
wrote at the end of the fourth century : (1) 

**Not far from the city walls, among the well-trimmed 
orchards, there lies a crypt buried in darksome pits. 
Into its secret recesses a steep path with winding stairs 
directs one. . . . As you advance, the darkness, as 
of night, seems to get more and more obscure throughout 
the mazes of the cavern ; at intervals there occur aper- 
tures cut in the roof which convey the bright rays of the 
sun into the cave below. Although the recesses, twisting 
at random this way and that, form narrow chambers with 



(1) Prudentius, Peristeph. XL 11, 153 seq. 



156 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

darksome galleries, yet a considerable quantity of light 
finds its way through the pierced vaulting down into the 
hollow bowels of the mountain. . . . To such secret 
place is the body of Hippolytus conveyed, near to the 
spot where now stands the altar of God. That same 
altar-stone {mensa) gives the Sacrament and is the faithful 
guardian of the martyr' s bones, which it keeps laid up 
there in expectation of the Eternal Judge, while it feeds 
the dwellers by the Tiber with holy food. Wondrous is 
the sanctity of the place ! The altar is at hand for those 
who pray, and it assists the hopes of men by mercifully 
granting what they need. Here have I, when sick with 
ills of both soul and body, oftentimes prostrated myself 
in prayer and found relief. . . . Early in the morn- 
ing men come to salute (Hippolytus) ; all the youth of 
the place worship here ; they come and go until the 
setting of the sun. Love of religion collects together 
into one dense crowd both Latins and foreigners ; they 
imprint their kisses on the shining silver ; they pour 
out their sweet balsams ; their laces are bedewed with 
tears." (L) 

135.— CAMPO SANTO — THE CEMETERY OF S. LORENZO. 

The Campo Santo adjoining the church was opened in 
1837, and enlarged in 1854. Since 1870, heretics, Jews, 
infidels and excommunicated persons are buried here as 
well as Catholics, so the cemetery has been desecrated, 
and each Catholic grave has to be blessed anew. Over 
the entrance are colossal figures of Silence, Charity, Hope 
and Meditation. The first part of the cemetery consists 
of an oblong court surrounded by open colonnades full of 
marble monuments, most of them pretentious, few really 
fine. The epitaphs are of the laudatory kind, the appeals 
for prayers for the departed being few and far between. 
In the centre of the court is a large statue of our Risen 
Saviour, and at the end is the mortuary chapel. Beyond 
this is an immense enclosure with avenues of evergreen 



(1) Northcote. l^oma Sotterranea. p. 98. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 157 

cypress, beneath whose shade almost every I^oman family 
has some member laid to rest. One of the most hand- 
some monuments is that erected by Pius IX to the 
Papal soldiers who fell at Mentana in 1867, but the pres- 
ent government has altered the inscription, adding words 
of insult to the Papacy. In the tufo rock of the cliffs are 
observed tomb-niches from the Catacombs of St. Cyriaca, 
discovered when the cemetery was extended in this 
direction . 

Inhumation and Cremation. 

** Inhumation seems to have been the more common 
practice in prehistoric Rome ; hence certain families, to 
give material evidence of their ancient lineage, would never 
submit to cremation, v. g., the Cornelii Scipiones, whose 
sarcophagi were discovered in the Vigna Sussi." (Lan- 
ciani.) (1) Cremation seems to have been introduced in 
K.ome about 200 years B. c, and discontinued towards the 
middle of the second century. Christians from the begin- 
ning opposed cremation, and committed their dear 
departed ones to the earth. The K.oman law forbade 
intramural sepulture, but this was gradually disregarded, 
and from the seventh century it became quite common to 
bury within the walls. The usual places of sepulture 
were the churches, the church-yards, the cloisters of 
monasteries and convents. Health considerations and 
want of space in our modern cities have made it necessary 
to replace the church and cloister by the country ceme- 
tery, with its flowers and shrubs and overhanging trees. 

136. — PORTA MAGGIORE — FIENDS OF THE REVOLUTION. 

A quiet country road on our left as we leave the ceme- 
tery leads to Porta Maggiore, passing under a railway 
arch. It was formerly known as the Porta Labicana, and 
Porta Prcenestina. Outside the gate is the strange tomb 
of the Baker Eurysaces (attributed to the early years of the 
empire), with rows of mortars used in baking, placed 



(1) Pagan and Christian J^ome, p. 253. 



158 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

sideways, and bas-reliefs on the frieze illustrating a baker's 
work. 

A horrible deed that took place in a vineyard outside 
this gate on May 2, 1849, is related by Father Boero, 
SJ.(l) Some revolutionary soldiers of the civic guard 
were drinking^ in a wine-shop not far from the gate. 
Suddenly one of them suggested that there were Jesuits 
in disguise lurking in the neighborhood. They proceeded 
at once to a house in a vineyard close by, dragged forth 
three poor unoffending countrymen, accused them of being 
Jesuits and of having killed two Carabinieri, and leading 
them to Ponte S. Angelo, there brutally stabbed them to 
death, casting their bodies into the river. An apostate 
priest stood by and approved the murder. When the 
revolution was quelled and the government of the Pope 
restored, these miscreants were tried and condemned to 
death. 

Passing through the gate, we follow the road on our left 
which leads beneath some fine brick arches, remains of an 
aqueduct of the time of Nero, and in a few minutes reach 
the basilica of S. Croce in Gerusalemme. 

137. — SANTA CROCE IN GERUSALEMME — BASILICA OF 
THE HOLY CROSS. 

This is one of the seven Patriarchal basilicas to the 
visit of which great indulgences are attached. (2) It was 
founded by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the 
Great, and may have been originally one of the halls of 
the Sessorian Palace, whence it derived its title of Basilica 
Sessoriana. The saint built or adapted it as a church to 
receive the large relic of the True Cross brought by her 
from Jerusalem. Anastasius Bibliothecarius writes : 
" Eodem tempore fecit Constantinus Augustus Basilicam 
in palatio Sessoriano, ubi etiam de ligno Sanctae Crucis 
Domini Nostri Jesu Christi posuit, et auro et gemmis con- 



(1) Revoluzione Romana al Giudizio degli imparziali, pp. 338-339. 

(2) The others are St. Peter's, St. Paul's, the Lateran, St. Mary 
Major, St. Lawrence and St. Sebastian. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 159 

dusit ; ubi etiam et nomen Ecclesiae dedicavit, quae cog- 
nominatur usque in hodiernum diem Hierusalem." (1) 
Pope St. Sylvester consecrated it on March 20, A. D. 330, 
and Galla Placidia and Valentinian III adorned it with rich 
decorations in the fifth century. (Marucchi, Basiliques, etc. 
p. 347). It was restored by Gregory II (720), by Bene- 
dict VII, who erected the adjoining monastery (975), by 
Cardinal di Mendoza (1492), and was finally modernized 
and reduced to its present form by Benedict XIV. Little 
or nothing is left of the old edifice except the subterranean 
chapel of St. Helena, the pillars of the nave, part of the 
mosaic floor, and the mediaeval belfry. 

Anastasius gives a list of the rich presents bestowed on 
the basilica by Constantine, including grants of lands yield- 
ing an annual income of 951 solidi, i. e., 1426 gold crowns. 

138. — DISCOVERY OF THE HOLY CROSS AT JERUSALEM 
BY ST. HELENA, A. D. 326. 

Constantine, desirous of honoring the holy places sanc- 
tified by our K,edeemer's sufferings, resolved to build a 
magnificent church in Jerusalem. (Alban Butler, May 3.) 
His mother, St. Helena, inspired with a great desire to 
find the true Cross, on which our Lord had suffered, under- 
took a journey to Palestine in 326, though she was nearly 
eighty years of age at the time. At Jerusalem she found 
no mark, no tradition even among the Christians to guide 
her in her search. The heathens had heaped up a great 
quantity of stones and rubbish to conceal the place where 
our Saviour was buried, and the Emperor Hadrian had 
profaned the Holy Places and outraged the feelings of 
Christians by erecting a statue of Jupiter near the Holy 
Sepulchre, and a temple and statue of Venus on Calvary, 
so as to prevent the Christians from coming there to wor- 
ship. The pious Empress ordered the profane building 
to be pulled down, the statues to be broken to pieces, the 
rubbish to be removed ; and on digging to a great depth 
the holy Sepulchre was found, and near it three crosses, 



(1) Liber Pontificalis, n. 41. 



160 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

also the Nails, which had pierced our Saviour's Hands and 
Feet, and the Title which had been fixed on the Cross. 
Uncertain which of the three crosses was the one on 
which Christ died, the holy bishop St. Macarius, after fer- 
vent prayer, applied them singly to a sick person ; the first 
two had no effect, but an immediate and perfect cure fol- 
lowed the touch of the third. St. Helena, full of joy at 
having found the treasure sne had so earnestly sought, 
built a church on the spot, and within it placed the Holy 
Cross enclosed in a rich silver case. A part of it she took 
to the Emperor Constantine, who received it with great 
veneration : another part she brought to Rome to be 
placed in this church of the Holy Cross. 

139. — RELICS OF THE PASSION AT SANTA CROCE — THE 

HOLY CROSS, THE SACRED NAIL, THE 

TITLE ON THE CROSS. 

Besides the large piece of the True Cross, St. Helena 
placed in this church the Title that had been fixed on the 
Cross and one of the Sacred Nails. These sacred relics 
disappeared for a long time (hidden probably during 
some invasion of the city), and were thought to be hope- 
lessly lost. In 1492, during some repairs ordered by Car- 
dinal Mendoza, a niche was discovered near the summit 
of the apse, enclosed by a brick front, inscribed '* Titulus 
Crucis." In it was found a leaden coffer, containing an 
imperfect blank of wood, 2 inches thick, Xyi palm long, 
1 palm broad. On this was the inscription in Hebrew, 
Greek and Latin ''Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,'' 
The coft'er also contained a large piece of the True Cross, 
and one of the Sacred Nails. (1) This discovery caused 
incredible joy : Innocent VIII, with the College of Cardi- 
nals, came to venerate the relics, and Cardinal Mendoza 
enclosed them in a silver shrine, which is exposed three 
times a year from the balcony, viz., on Good Friday, on 
May 3, and on the fourth Sunday in Lent. 

The Sacred Nails. — St. Gregory of Tours says there 



(1) Bozius. Tract de Cruce. 1. L c. 2. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 161 

were four nails, and in the most ancient pictures our Lord 
is represented fastened to the cross with four nails. These 
St. Helena found (1) and had one fastened in Constan- 
tine's helmet (2) as a perpetual protection in battle and a 
pledge of victory ; another she cast into the Adriatic to 
protect vessels during its frequent and violent storms ; a 
third she placed in this basilica of the Holy Cross. 

140.— EXTERIOR OF THE BASILICA SANTA CROCE. 

The approach and surroundings were once very beauti- 
ful, but they have been robbed of their picturesqueness by 
the present government. Mrs. Hemans [Catholic Italy, vol. 
I) writes : " Few I(oman churches are set within so impres- 
sive a picture as Santa Croce, approached on every side 
through these solitudes of vineyards and gardens, quiet 
roads, and long avenues of trees, that occupy such an im- 
mense extent within the walls of Rome. The scene from 
the Lateran, looking tov/ards this basilica across the level 
common, between lines of trees, with the distance of 
Cam^pagna and mountains, the castellated walls, the 
arcades of the Claudian aqueduct, amid gardens and 
groves, is more than beautiful, full of memory and asso- 
ciation." This is a picture of the past before the beauty 
of the spot had been '* improved " away. The ruins close 
to the basilica are a fragment of the Sessorian palace. 

The exterior of the church is disappointing and of the 
debased barocco style. One regrets that the ancient 
facade and the atrium or arcaded court, with its marble 
seats, were cleared away by Benedict XIV. 

14L — INTERIOR OF THE BASILICA — CHAPEL OF ST. 

HELENA. 

The Nave is divided from the aisles by eight large col- 
umns of Egyptian granite ; four other ancient columns are 
encased in plaster pilasters. The mosaic pavement is 
the ancient one, at least in part. The horrid modern 



(1) Marucchi. BasiUques, p. 350, gives the authorities. 

(2) It now forms part of the famous iron crown kept at Monza. 



162 PILGRIM-WALKS IX R.OME. 

daubs (the work of a French artist) at the foot of the two 
aisles, were ordered by the present government in 1880. 

The Jiigh altar has two columns of breccia corallina and 
two of porta saiita. Beneath, in a large urn of green 
basalt, are the bodies of SS. Anastasius and Cssarius, 
martyrs. The position of the tabernacle of the Blessed 
Sacrament, high up in the wall of the apse, and opening 
on the sacristy side, is unusual. 

The splendid frescoes in the vault of the apse, repre- 
senting the Finding of the Holy Cross by St. Helena, and 
its K.ecovery from the Persians by Heraclius, were painted 
by Pinturrichio in 1470. Above is a figure of our Lord 
in a nimbus among angels, thought to be the work of 
Giotto. 

The Chapel of St. Hele7ia. — Two staircases, one on each 
side of the sanctuary, lead down to two subterranean 
chapels. The chapel to the left, enclosed by an iron 
screen, is dedicated to St. Gregory. Opposite it is the 
entrance to the chapel of St. Helena, greatly venerated 
from the earliest times. This is the most ancient part of 
the building and was erected by her. An inscription 
states that the floor was covered with earth she brought 
with h.Qr from Calvary. The ceiling was covered by Val- 
entinian H with mosaic figures on a gold ground, which 
were restored in the sixteenth century by Baldassare 
Peruzzi. The present frescoes are by Pomerancio. Val- 
uable paintings by I^iibens form.erly graced this sanctuary, 
but they were found to be suffering from the dampness 
and had to be removed. V/ornen are allowed to enter 
this chapel but once a year, viz., on March 20. The 
privilege of saying Mass at its altar is reserved to the 
Pope and the Cardinal of the Holy Cross. 

142. — THE BLESSING OF THE GOLDEN ROSE. 

Formerly every Lcetare, or Mid-Lent Sunday, the Holy 
Father came to Santa Croce to bless a golden rose, symbol 
of the joys of heaven, purchased for us by the Passion of 
our Lord. Up to the Avignon period (1305-1378), the 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 163 

ceremonies were very imposing, but were greatly sim- 
plified later. The flower was of virgin gold, gem.med 
with diamonds, and was usually presented to some Catho- 
lic prince or princess. In 1444 Eugenius IV gave the 
rose to Henry VI of England. Innocent VIII sent it 
with a golden sceptre to James III, King of Scots. Henry 
VIII, Defender of the Faith, received it three times. 

In 1555 Julius III sent it to Queen Mary of England. 
The origin of the ceremony is not known ; it seems to date 
from the time of Leo VII (936-939). The rose is now 
usually blessed in the Sixtine Chapel. 

For information on the Golden R^ose, see '' The Month," 
March, 1900, p. 294. 

I\elics of the Basilica. 

Besides the great relics of the Passion, the basilica owns 
a rich treasury of relics, among them being (1) two of the 
Sacred Thorns ; (2) the finger of St. Thomas, which 
touched our Blessed Saviour's wounds; (3) a large reli- 
quary, said to have belonged to St. Gregory the Great, 
containing 213 relics, etc. 

143. — MEMORABLE EVENTS AT SANTA CROCE. 

In 433, St. Sixtus III here assembled a council to de- 
fend himself against the slanderous accusations of Anicius 
Bassus, the ex-consul. The Pope's innocence was trium- 
phantly vindicated, and Bassus v/as punished by the 
Emperor Valentinian, all his property being confiscated. 
The slanderer died three months after, being assisted in 
his last illness, and his obbcquies being performed by the 
holy Pope whose character he had so foully aspersed. 

In 502, St. Symmachtis here gathered a council to screen 
himself from wicked accusations brought against him by 
Laurence, the archpriest of St. Praxedes and the Senator 
Festus. His innocence was completely proved, and his 
detractors were scorned by the whole city. 

In 984, Benedict VII, who is buried in this basilica 
(n. 144), built the adjoining monastery for Benedictine 
monks. 



164 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

In 1003, Sylvester II here expired at the altar while 
offering up the Holy Sacrifice (n. 144). 

Innocent III (1198-1216) came barefoot to this basilica 
to implore the blessing of God on the Christian armies in 
the Holy Land. 

In 1370, Urban V here established the Carthusians. 
Pius IV removed them to the large monastery of S. Maria 
degli Angeli (Baths of Diocletian), and Gregory XIII 
gave Santa Croce to the Cistercians of S. Sabba, be- 
queathing their ancient monastery on the Aventine to the 
Collegio Germanico. 

In 1872, the monastery of Santa Croce, with its valua- 
ble library, was seized by the government, and is now 
used as a barrack, a few rooms being left to the monks 
who serve the church. 

One of St. Frances of Rome's ecstasies occurred in 
this church. 

144. — BENEDICT VII AND SYLVESTER II. 

Benedict VII (d. 984) was buried in this church and his 
epitaph may be seen near the entrance. It records his 
foundation of the adjoining monastery for monks, who 
were to sing day and night the praises of God ; his chari- 
ties to the poor ; the misdeeds of the antipope Franco 
(Bonifacius VII), v/ho, with the support of the Crescentii, 
usurped the Holy See, imprisoned and murdered the law- 
ful Pope Benedict VI and pillaged the treasury of St. 
Peter's, but in one month was ejected by the people and 
fled to Constantinople (n. 22). 

Sylvester II (d. 1003), who was a Frenchman named 
Gerbert, died suddenly in this basilica. His enemies 
accused him of dabbling in necromancy, and strange 
stories were told about his tomb in the Lateran. When- 
ever one of his successors was approaching the end of his 
life, the bones of Sylvester were supposed to rattle in the 
vault and the marble lid would be found moistened with 
dew. The stupid legend arose from the misinterpretation 
of his epitaph : 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 165 

Hie locus niundi Sylvestri membra sepulti 
Ve7ituro Domino eonferet ad sonitum. 
The tomb was opened in 1648, when the body was 
found well preserved, dressed in state robes, with the 
tiara on his head. It fell to dust when touched (n. 46). 

145. — TRAGIC SCENES AT SANTA CROCE. 

Horrible deeds occurred here in the revolution of 1849, 
which are related by Father Boero, S.J. (La K,evoluzione 
I^omana al giudizio degli imparziali, c. 8, p. 277 seq.), 
who gives the testimony of eye-witnesses. A number of 
revolutionary soldiers came here in the May of that year, 
with the intention of murdering the monks, but these had 
timely warning and escaped. The miscreants searched 
the monastery, and finding three servants, whom they 
suspected of being lay brothers, they stabbed them to 
death with daggers and bayonets, then trampled on their 
bleeding corpses, and, in mockery of baptism, poured 
wine over them, uttering horrible blasphemies. A fourth 
victim was an old man whom, they murdered in the mon- 
astery yard. The sacred buildings were rifled by them, 
and the relics of saints desecrated. 

146.— THE ANCIENT PAPAL WALK BETWEEN SANTA 
CROCE AND THE LATERAN. 

In the open space between St. John Lateran and S. 
Croce were formerly the Papal gardens of the Lateran 
palace, and a favorite Papal walk led to S. Croce through 
shady avenues. It is believed that St. Francis of Assisi 
here had his first interview with Innocent III (n. 48). 
Recent *' improvements " have robbed the place of all its 
beauty. Aug. Hare writes : ''It is stripped of the ex- 
quisite green lawns and beautiful avenues, down v/hich 
the sister basilicas looked at each other, and at S. Maria 
Maggiore, till 1880, and has been lined on the right by 
houses in the worst style of Chicago." 

Formerly the Pope, Cardinals and faithful came every 
Good Friday to venerate the Holy Cross at S. Croce ; 
and the Lenten Station on that day is still kept in this 



166 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

church, when the services are among the most impressive 
in K,ome. Relics of the true Cross are seldom given now 
except to Bishops for their pectoral crosses, and even they 
are required to transmit the relic to their successor. 

147. — CONSTANTINE THE GREAT AND ST. HELENA. 

Before leaving Santa Croce, a word must be said about 
the Emperor Constantine and his holy mother, St. Helena. 

Constantine, by the establishment of Christianity as the 
dominant religion of the Empire, the foundation of Con- 
stantinople and the reorganization of the Empire, has 
fully earned the title of Great. He was particularly solicit- 
ous to make Christianity flourish. Nothing afforded him 
more pleasure than to learn its daily progress, and he him- 
self contributed towards its advancement by exhortation 
and example. Whilst he gloried in openly professing that 
holy religion, he invited, by an edict, all his subjects, 
without, however, forcing any one to renounce their old 
superstitions, and embrace the true faith which God had 
manifested to the world in so signal a manner. Even 
pagan writers bear testimony to his sterling qualities, his 
virtues, goodness and wisdom. 

His faults were the postponement of baptism to the end 
of his life ; the killing of his noble son, Crispus, an artful 
calumny having led him to believe the youth guilty of an 
atrocious design ; his encroachments upon the rights of 
the Church in his later years, at the instigation of the 
Arians. 

St. Helena was a model of all Christian virtues, and her 
zeal and example contributed greatly to the spread of the 
true faith. She built more than thirty churches in Pales- 
tine. (1) She replaced the abominations which Hadrian 
had erected at the holy places, by Christian temples, and 
left a treasure to the Church by the discovery of the true 
cross. Christian art, practiced already in the catacombs 
and fostered by her, produced the basilicas of Constan- 
tine and Theodosius, and the bas-reliefs on the tombs of 



{\) Gerbet. Esquisse de I^ome, III, p. 349. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 167 

martyrs and saints, and the mosaics which formed a 
characteristic feature of earlier Christian architecture. (1) 
It is one of Catholic England's greatest glories to count 
St. Helena and Constantine among its children, St. Helena 
being the only daughter of King Coilus, who lived on 
friendly terms with the K.omans and held of them his 
sovereignty. 

148.— CHURCH OF S. EUSEBIO. 

Following the road in front of S. Croce in the direction 
of St. Mary Major, we come to a broad square (Piazza 
Vittorio Emanuele), surrounded by pretentious buildings 
intended originally as mansions for the wealthy, but 
(although comparatively nev/) occupied almost exclu- 
sively by Jews and the humbler classes. In the open 
arcade round the four sides of the square are shops of the 
poorer kind, most of them kept by Jews, for the children 
of the Ghetto established themselves in this part of I^ome 
after the demolition of their old quarter in 1880, The 
enclosed gardens in the centre of the square include part 
of the appropriated vineyard of the Jesuit Fathers. 

At the further right-hand corner as we enter the square 
from S. Croce, is the ancient church of 5. Eusebio, erected 
on the site of the house of St. Eusebius, Priest and 
Martyr, who was put to death by the Arians in the reign 
of Constantine. (Martyrol. K.om., 14 Aug.) An oratory 
existed here in the fifth century, and is mentioned in the 
councils held by Gelasius (494), and Symmachus (2) 
(499). The church was rebuilt by Pope Zachary in 750, 
and again by Gregory IX in 1238. It was modernized in 
1711 and 1750, when all its ancient and artistic features 
were sacrificed. It is supposed that St. Eusebius' house, 
where he was martyred, is under the present church. 

There is little that calls for remark in the interior. Under 



(IJ Guggenberger. History of the Christian Era, vol. I, n. 39. 

(2) The Acts are signed by Paschasius and Valentinus, Priests of 
the title {i. e., parish) of St. Eusebius. In a council held by St. 
Gregory the Great occurs the name of Bonus, priest of St. Eusebius. 



168 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the high altar are the bodies of SS. Eusebius, Orosius (1) 
and Paulinus, Martyrs : and in the choir behind the altar 
are some beautiful stalls with inlaid work, made in 1556. 
Before 1711 there was an enclosed choir or *' Schola Can- 
torum " in front of the sanctuary, like the one at S. Clem- 
ente ; and the walls of the aisles were frescoed with repre- 
sentations of sacred subjects. The fresco on the ceiling 
is said to be a work of great merit. 

In the porch is an interesting inscription of 1238, record- 
ing the consecration of the church by Gregory IX, and 
the grant of an extraordinary indulgence to all who visit 
the church any time from Wednesday in Holy Week to 
Low Sunday. (2) 

149. — FORMER HOUSE OF RETREATS AT S. EUSEBIO. 

Leo XII gave the church and the adjoining residence 
to the Jesuit Fathers to be used as a place for Retreats for 
the clergy and others. Many illustrious persons have 
here gone through St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises, 
among them Pere Lacordaire, who seems to have here 
received his vocation to the Dominican Order. 

In the vineyard and garden of the residence (now ab- 
sorbed by the square), good Father Beckx, the General of 
the Society of Jesus, often sat and listened to F. Boero, 
who read to him passages from his (F. Boero's) lives of 
the Saints and early Fathers of the Society. 

In 1873, both house and vineyard were seized by the 
government, and this once retired and beautiful spot has 
degenerated into a mean and uninteresting neighborhood. 

The Blessing of Horses at S. Ease bio. 

Since the closing of St. Anthony's church near St. 

Mary Major (about 1870), the annual blessing of horses 

on his feast, January 17, takes place in front of S. Euse- 

bio. The sight is an interesting one. Few of the Roman 



(1) He was put to death for having buried the holy Martyr 
Eusebius. 

(2) In the inscription the word Mille seems to have been substi- 
tuted for some other word, probably Trium. 



l^MK^^MM 


■ 




I 


< 




ki 


Jl 


■1 




'It 




PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 169 

drivers, however indifferent some of them may be in 
matters of religion, would miss this blessing. It is 
remarked that, though Rome is oversupplied with cabs, 
which from the recklessness of the drivers constitute a 
perpetual danger in the narrow streets, there are com- 
paratively few accidents : a grace, no doubt, attributable 
to the blessing of St. Anthony. 

150.— CHURCH AND HOSPITAL OF S. ANTONIO ABBATE. 

Following the Via Carlo Alberto tov/ards St. Mary 
Major, we pass on our left the church of St. Vitus, the boy- 
martyr, who suffered in the Coliseum (n. 174). Close to 
it is the Arch of Gallienus (253-260) and to the right of the 
church may be seen some remains of the Servian wall. 
The church of S. Antonio (1) on the opposite side of the 
street was built or rather restored in the thirteenth cen- 
tury by Cardinal Capocci and rebuilt in the fifteenth and 
seventeenth centuries. It was originally the basilica of 
Junius Bassus, consul in A.D. 317, a building used for 
civil purposes, and retained many of the splendid mosaics 
of the fourth century, till they were unfortunately destroyed 
in 1686. (Marucchi, Basiliques, etc., p. 338, gives an illus- 
tration of these mosaics. ) Pope Simplicius (467-483) trans- 
formed this basilica of Bassus into a church dedicated to St. 
Andrew. In the twelfth century it was known as S. An- 
dreas in Piscinula, vv^hich title was changed to kS. Antonio 
when Capocci restored the edifice. 

In the hospital adjoining the church .S*^. Francis of 
Assisi v/as found among the poor pilgrims by the mes- 
sengers of Innocent III, who came in search of him (1209). 

To this same hospital St. Bridget of Sweden and her 
chaplain, Magnus Peterson, carried the poor woman suf- 
fering from the plague, whom they found lying uncon- 
scious at the door of S. Prassede (n. 90). 

The church has been closed for many years and the 
convent expropriated by the government. 

(1) St. Anthony, the abbot and solitary of the Thebaid. 



170 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The blessing of horses on St. Anthony's day took place 
here till 1870. 

The Cross on a pedestal formed by a culverin reversed, 
nov/ seen on the right of St. Mary Major, formerly stood 
in front of St. Anthony's church. It is a memorial of 
Henry IV of France being received into the Catholic 
Church in 1595. 

Note. — The beautiful Corinthian column in front of St. 
Mary Major {Colonna della Vergine) was erected by 
Paul V in 1613. It belonged to the Basilica of Constan- 
tine. The obelisk in the square at the apse end of the 
basilica was placed there by Sixtus V. It was brought 
from Egypt by the Emperor Claudius, and was one of 
two which stood at the entrance to the Mausoleum of 
Augustus. 



CHAPTER VII. 
To THE Capitol and Forum. 

151.— PIAZZA DI ARA CCELI. 

The street, Via di Ara Cceliy leading from the Gesu to 
the Capitol {Campidoglio) passes on the right the Via 
Margana, where St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier 
lived, and which will be referred to later. 

The piazza or square at the foot of the steps leading to 
the Capitol and to Ara Coeli recalls an event in the life of 
St. Ignatius of Loyola, and a prophecy he made regard- 
ing St. Francis Borgia's vocation to the Society. One 
day Miguel Arrovira, a young man much in favor at the 
Spanish court, whom St. Ignatius had known at Barce- 
lona, met the saint coming from Ara Ccsli, and showed 
him a letter from Duke Francis Borgia, then Governor of 
Catalonia, whose wife Lenora was still living. "You 
will one day," said Ignatius, *'see the man who wrote 
that letter a member of the Company of Jesus and its 
superior." 

In the process of St. Ignatius' beatification is the depo- 
sition of Giovanni Francesco Bucca, who stated that he 
had been a pupil at the school opened by Ignatius at the 
foot of the Capitol, and that over the door was written 
the following notice : '' School of Grammar ^ Humanities 
and Christian Doctrine. Gratis'' This was the first school 
of the Society of Jesus, and soon developed into the 
famous Roman College. 

152. — THE CA.vii:oi^{Campidoglio) — ST. Frances of rome. 

TertuUian (c. Marc. 4. 19) and St. Justin (Apol. 1. 4) 
speak of the registration tablet of our Blessed Saviour's 
birth, brought to Rome from Palestine, and preserved 
among the statistics of the Empire in the Tabularium on 
the Capitol. 

171 



172 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

On the wall of' the central building is a marble tablet 
recording the plebiscite of October, 1870, by which the 
Italian government seek to justify their occupation of 
Rome. A full history of this so-cailed plebiscite will be 
found in the Civilta Cattolica of the period. 

The Capitol with its memories of the Gallic siege, the 
watchful geese, the bravery of M. Manlius, the treachery 
of Tarpeia, etc., is full of historic interest. But it has 
also its Christian associations. We can give but one. 

In 1409, Ladislas of Naples, the enemy of the Pope, 
having made himself master of R.ome, appointed as gov- 
ernor of the city Count Pietro Troja. This rough and 
brutal soldier persecuted those K.oman nobles v/ho had 
remained faithful to the Pope, and among them Lorenzo 
Ponziani, the husband of St. Frances of Rome. In a 
skirmish betv/een the Papal troops and those of Ladislas, 
commanded by Troja, Lorenzo was severely wounded 
and lay in his palazzo in Trastevere in a precarious state. 
Troja, determined to take vengeance on the Ponziani, 
demanded that Lorenzo's son, Giovan Battista, aged 
eight, should be given up into his hands, swearing revenge 
in case of refusal. St. Frances, alarmed for the safety of 
her child, not daring to tell her wounded husband, fled 
with the boy by narrow streets trying to escape or to find 
some secret hiding place. 

Suddenly she met her confessor, Don Antonio, who 
seeing her anguish, said: ''Francesca, it is God's will 
that you take the child to the Capitol, and do you go into 
the church of Ara Coeli." This seemed like consigning 
the boy to imprisonment or death. Crowds press about 
her, bid her turn back, tell her she is mad to surrender 
the child : they try even to take him from her by force, 
but all in vain. She waves them off, pursues her v/ay to 
the Capitol, walks straight up to where the Neapolitan 
tyrant was standing, surrenders the child, then hurries to 
the church of Ara Cceli, where, prostrate at the feet of our 
Lady, before her picture, she m.akes the sacrifice of her 
child, her life, of everything dear to her. Her anguish 
found relief in a torrent of tears, and an inward voice 
bade her not be afraid. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 173 

Meanwhile the Count de Troja ordered an officer to take 
the boy on his horse to an appointed place ; but the 
moment the child was placed in the saddle, no efforts of 
spur or whip could make the animal stir from the spot. 
Four successive steeds were tried with the same result. 
Struck with terror and dismay, the Count ordered the 
child to be restored to his m^other. (Lady G. Fullerton's 
Life of St. Frances of K.ome, page 47.) 

153. — THE CHURCH OF ARA COELI— SANCTA MARIA IN 
ARA CGELI. 

The name Ara Cceli, which was in use in the twelfth 
century, (1) refers to a legend of the sixth century, accord- 
ing to which the Emperor Augustus is said to have here 
erected an altar with the inscription Ara primogenito Dei, 
to commemorate the prophecy of the Cum.aean Sibyl 
respecting the coming of a K^edeemer. The authorities 
for this legend will be found in Gerbet's Esquisse de I(ome 
Chretienne, vol. Ill, page 186 seq. (2) The round altar in 
the left transept, dedicated to St. Helena, is supposed to be 
on the site of Augustus' altar. The relics of St. Helena 
are there preserved in a beautiful urn of porphyry. 

In 591 the church was consecrated by St. Gregory the 
Great under the title of Sancta Maria in Capitolio. In the 
ninth century it was served by Greek monks, in 1130 it 
was given to the Benedictines ; and finally in 1280 Inno- 
cent IV presented it to the Franciscans, who have been 
here ever since. 

The steep marble steps leading up to the ertrance were 
made with the contributions of the faithful in 1348, while 
the Papal court was at Avignon. (1) It was the intention 
to cover the facade with marbles and mosaics ; and, 



(1) The Anti-Pope Anacletus, who gave the church to the Bene- 
dictines about 1130, speaks of it as Ara Cceli. (Gerbet. Esquisse 
de l^ome, III, p. 199.) 

(2) Even the Gentile world had heard of a coming ^^edeemer. 
See Newman's Grammar of Assent, p. 438. 

(3) The marble is said to have been taken from an ancient temple 
outside the Porta Salaria. 



174 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. ^> 

though a beginning was made centuries ago, it was dis- 
continued because of the troubles in I(ome, and the few 
mosaics then placed on the wall have long since disap- 
peared. 

One of the sights of ]R.ome is the blessing given to the 
people with the miraculous Bambino from the head of this 
flight of steps, a ceremony which will be referred to pres- 
ently. 

154.— INTERIOR OF ARA CGELI. 

The interior is vast, solemn, and wonderfully pictur- 
esque. Twenty-two ancient columns separate the nave 
from the aisles. The high altar, rich in marbles, has an 
ancient painting of our Lady much venerated. I(aphaei's 
famous Madonna di Foligno, now at the Vatican, was 
painted for this altar and remained here for some years. 

The first chapel in the right aisle, dedicated to St. Ber- 
nardine of Sienna, was decorated with frescoes by Pintur- 
richio on the occasion of the saint's canonization in 1450. 
They represent the glory and miracles of St. Bernardine, 
and rank among the noblest works of the great artist. 
The canonization took place at St. Peter's on Whitsunday, 
May 24, in presence of fourteen cardinals, tw^enty-four 
bishops and more than 2,000 Frati of the Observance, 
these latter ail being entertained at the Pope's expense. 
All Rome flocked to Ara Coeli to see the wonderful fres- 
coes, the greatest work of the kind yet seen in the Eter- 
nal City. 

In the third chapel of the right aisle, that of the Crucifix, 
was buried the lady Vannozza, the intimate friend of St. 
Frances of K.ome, about 1430. On the day of the funeral 
Frances knelt on one side of the coffin, and, in sight of all 
the crowd, was rapt into ecstasy. They saw her raised 
from the ground with a seraphic expression on her uplifted 
face. They heard her murmur several times, with inde- 
scribable emphasis : Quando ? Quando? When all was 
over she still remained immovable, till her confessor told 
her to rise and go to attend the sick. She had seen the 
soul of Vannozza carried up to heaven like a pure flame, 
enveloped in a light transparent cloud. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 175 

In the right transept are some interesting tombs of the 
Savelli family of the thirteenth century. 

Opposite the sanctuary are two medieval ambones, or 
pulpits, beautiful specimens of Cosimati thirteenth century 
work. 

The floor of the nave is paved with fragments of 
porphyry, serpentine and other precious marbles. 

The richly gilded ceiling was an offering of the I^oman 
Senate in 1571, in thanksgiving to our Lady for the victory 
of Lepanto. 

155.— THE SANTO BAMBINO. 

The sacristan, if asked, will unlock the shrine of the 
Santo Bambino, an image of the Holy Child, carved by a 
Franciscan at Jerusalem, in the seventeenth century, out 
of wood taken from the Garden of Olives. The ship that 
brought it from Palestine was wrecked at Livorno, but 
the image was miraculously preserved and brought to Ara 
Coeli about 1647. It is greatly venerated in I(ome, and 
frequently carried to the sick for their consolation ; even 
miraculous cures are said to have been wrought by it. 
The figure is robed in silk and diamonds, and form.erly 
had a carriage of its own, given by Prince Torlonia to 
convey it to the sick. The blessing given with the Santo 
Bambino from the head of the marble steps at Christmas 
time is a great event. On Christmas day, also after ves- 
pers of the feast of the Epiphany, the miraculous image 
is carried in solemn procession. An immense crowd 
gathers on the long flight of steps leading up to the church 
door and spreads out in the piazza below. The priest 
bearing the statue halts at the open space outside the 
church, which commands a distant view of St. Peter's and 
blesses the city with the sacred image ; heads are bared 
and knees bent in reverence to receive the benediction. 

A famous crib is made every Christmas at this church ; 
and throughout the octave of the feast children of tender 
years recite poems or little sermons on a platform in front 
of it. The infant preachers, whose ages range from four 
to ten years, go through their task one after another with- 



176 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

out the slightest embarrassment, emphasizing their words 
with graceful gestures. They tell us how they had heard 
the angels in the early morning, had accompanied the 
shepherds to the crib, and looked upon the Divine Infant ; 
how they had told the Bambino not to cry, that they 
would console Him by being good, etc. 

156.— SAINTS AT ARA CCELI. 

St. Ignatms and St. Frances of R^ome have been already 
mentioned. 

St. Bernardine of Sienna (d. 1444), the great promoter 
of devotion to the Holy Name, lived for a time in this 
monastery. His banner of the Holy Name is among the 
Church's prized treasures. 

St. John Capistran (d. 1456) also resided here during his 
stay in K,ome. At the siege of Belgrade in 1455, he 
placed himself at the head of 3,000 Catholics, and so in- 
spirited them by his v/ords that they defeated an army of 
200,000 Turks commanded by Mahomet H. 

St. Didacus or Diego, St. Louis, bishop of Toulouse, (1) 
St. John of Marc a and other Franciscan Saints also occu- 
pied cells in the monastery of Ara Cceli. A place hal- 
lowed by the presence of so many great saints -ought to 
have escaped spoliation ; but, alas 1 both monastery and 
cells of saints have been destroyed by the present Italian 
government, to make way for the statue of Victor Em- 
manuel, the King, who, in spite of his plighted word to 
Pope Pius IX, broke into Rome and sacrilegiously 
usurped the Holy City. 

There is a tradition that as the great procession of pen- 
ance directed by St. Gregory the Great (then Pope-elect) 
in 590, passed through the Forum with the picture of our 
Lady from St. Mary Major, angels were heard singing 
over the church of Ara Coeli. 

St. Philip Neri was often seen praying in this church. 



(1) St. Louis of Toulouse, grand nephew of St. Louis, King of 
France, made his religious profession at Ara Coeli in 1296, and was 
consecrated Bishop soon after. 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 177 

157. — THE MAMERTINE PRISON — CARCERE MAMERTINO. 

At the left side of the central edifice on the Capitol, 
some steps lead down to the north corner of the Forum, 
where stood the Temple of Concord, and to the Carcere 
Mamertino. 

This terrible prison consists of two subterranean cham- 
bers or dungeons one below the other, ''with only one 
round aperture in the centre of each vault, through which 
alone light, air, food and men could pass. When the 
upper story was full, we may imagine how much light 
and air could reach the lower. No other means of venti- 
lation, drainage or access, could exist. The walls, of 
large stone blocks, had rings fastened into them for secur- 
ing the prisoners, but many used to be laid on the floor 
with their feet fastened in stocks." (Cardinal Wiseman.) 

The upper dungeon is mentioned by Livy as having 
been made by Ancus Martins, the fourth king of Rome, 
in the year 640 B. c. It is an irregular quadrangle 
formed of enormous blocks of volcanic stone, fitted to- 
gether without cement, dark and fearful even still, though 
its walls have been pierced by modern doors. An inscrip- 
tion on the front records that the building was restored 
B. C. 22. 

The lower dungeon, a fearful oubliette, dark, dismal, 
grave-like, was called Tullianum, perhaps from Servius 
Tullius, who, according to Varro, excavated it out of the 
solid rock, B. C. 578 ; or from tullus, an old Latin word 
for a jet of water. It is elliptical in form, nineteen feet 
long, ten feet wide, six and a half feet high. The vault- 
ing is formed by the gradual projection of the side walls 
until they meet. Originally the only access (1) to each 
dungeon was by a small aperture in the centre of each 
vault, through which the prisoners were let down by 
ropes. Sallust describes it as a dark, filthy, frightful den, 
twelve feet under ground, walled in and covered with 
massive stones. 



(1) The stairs leading at present to the dungeons are modern. 



178 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

SS. Peter and Paul were cast into this lower dungeon 
during the persecution of Nero A. D. 65 or 66, and are 
said to have lain here eight or nine months, bound with 
chains to the wall. It would be hard to imagine a spot 
more appalling at the time the apostles entered it ; the 
total darkness, the fetid atmosphere, the accretions of 
filth, the dampness, the intense cold, the tragic associa- 
tions of the place, must have made confinement in it 
worse than death. 

According to the acts of SS. Processus and Martinianus 
(the authenticity of which is questioned by some modern 
writers), and to the lessons of the Roman Breviary, July 2, 
the apostles here converted Processus and Martinianus 
captains of the guard, with forty-seven fellow prisoners. 
There being no water wherewith to administer Baptism, 
St. Peter, by his prayer, unlocked a miraculous source, 
which continues flowing to the present day. SS. Proces- 
sus, Martinianus and the other converts soon after won 
the crown of martyrdom. It is said that the first two 
wished to let the apostles escape, but St. Peter knew it 
was not the Divine Will. 

In later persecutions other martyrs were also confined 
here, viz., St. Hippolytus, his sister St. Paulina, St. 
Eusebius, St. Marcellus and others. 

Above the Mamertine prison is the chapel of St. Peter 
in Carcere, where an ancient miraculous crucifix is greatly 
venerated. It is said that this chapel existed in the time 
of St. Gregory the Great. 

The small church that stands above this chapel is dedi- 
cated to St. Joseph, and belongs to the Guild of Carpen- 
ters. On the balcony in front of the entrance, Pope Pius 
IX made one of his last addresses to the Roman people 
before the Italian usurpation of Rome. 

158. — CHURCH OF ST. MARTINA IN FORO. 

Close to the Mamertine prison is the handsome church 
of St. Martina, built originally in the sixth century on the 
ruins of the Secretarium SenatuSy restored by Alexander 
IV, in 1256, and finally rebuilt by Cardinal Francesco 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 179 

Barberini, nephew of Urban VIII, from the designs of 
Pietro di Cortona, A. D. 1634. 

St. Martina was a Roman maiden of illustrious birth, 
distinguished for her charity to the poor. In the perse- 
cution of Alexander Severus, she suffered a cruel martyr- 
dom, being scourged, torn with iron hooks, exposed to 
wild beasts in the amphitheatre, and finally beheaded. 
Her body was discovered here at the rebuilding of the 
church, in 1634, together with the remains of the martyrs 
SS. Concordius and Epiphanius, and all three were en- 
closed by Urban VIII in a magnificent bronze shrine in 
the crypt under the high altar. The city of Rome re- 
gards her as one of its special patrons. 

The church is in the form of a Greek cross, adorned 
with columns and pilasters. A marble statue of the saint 
lies under the high altar. The beautiful chapel of the 
crypt (which should be visited), was also designed by 
Pietro da Cortona as a receptacle for the shrine of the 
saint and of the other martyrs. At the foot of the crypt 
stair, on the left, is the tomb of the martyr St. Gauden- 
tius, supposed, from certain words of the inscription, to 
have been the architect of the Coliseum. 

In the Middle Ages, the Pope here blessed candles on 
Candlemas day (February 2), and distributed them at the 
church door; a procession was then formed from the 
neighboring church of S. Adriano, which, after passing 
through the Forum, ascended the Esquiline to St. Mary 
Major. 

159. — S. ADRIANO IN FORO. 

This ancient church, served by the ReHgious of the 
Spanish order of Mercy, was built in the fifth or sixth 
century on the ruins of the ancient Curia or Senate house. 
It is dedicated to St. Adrian, an officer of the Roman 
army, who was converted by witnessing the constancy of 
the martyrs, and himself won the crown of martyrdom at 
Nicomedia, about A. D. 306. His relics were brought to 
Rome in the eighth century, and Pope Adrian I (772-795), 



180 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

in honor of this, his patron saint, made rich grants of lands, 
vineyards, etc., to this church. 

An inscription of the thirteenth century informs us that 
Gregory IX restored the church in 1228, on which occa- 
sion the reUcs of St. Adrian, and the bodies of SS. Marius 
and Martha, together with those of the three Hebrew Chil- 
dren of Babylon, were discovered under the altar. 

In 1213, the bodies of St. Flavia Domitilla and of SS. 
Nereus and Achilleus were translated to this church from 
their ancient resting place on the Via Appia. At the 
restoration of the high altar by Cardinal Cusano, in 1590, 
these bodies were discovered, together with those of SS. 
Marius, Martha, Papias and Maurus. The Cardinal, who 
was the spiritual son of St. Philip Neri, obtained the 
Pope's leave to translate the relics of SS. Papias and 
Maurus to St. Philip's new church, Santa Maria in Valli- 
cella. The translation took place with extraordinary 
solemnity, St. Philip being almost beside himself with 
joy. (Piazza. Emerologio Sagro, i, p. 156.) 

In 1596, Cardinal Baronius obtained Clement VIII's 
leave to transfer the remains of St. Domitilla, SS. Nereus 
and Achilleus to the ancient church of the two latter saints 
recently restored by him on the Via Appia. (1) 

In the annual mediaeval procession, when the celebrated 
picture of our Lord, '* Acheiropita," (preserved in the 
chapel Sancta Sanctorum near the Lateran) was carried 
through the streets and through the Forum, it was put 
down in front of the church of S. Adriano and its feet 
washed with basil. 

160.— THE ROMAN FORUM— ST. GREGORY THE GREAT 
AND THE THREE SAXON YOUTHS. 

The present entrance to the Forum is on the side near 
the Hospital della Consolazione. 

The Forum, the very heart of Rome, the spot round 
which centre so many world-stirring events for a period 
of a thousand years, is now a scene of desolation ; its 



(1) Gerbet. Esquisse de J^ome Chritienne^ vol. ii, p. 2% seq. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 181 

temples are fallen, its pagan sanctuaries have crumbled 
into dust ; its basilicas, colonnades, rostra, monuments, 
lie scattered on the ground, which is cumbered with heaps 
of broken shafts, fragments of marble capitals and cor- 
nices and masses of shapeless brick work ; only here and 
there a few shattered porticos are left, helping us to con- 
ceive some imperfect idea of what this great centre of the 
civic life of ancient Rome was in the flourishing days of 
the Empire. 

St. Fulgentius, of Carthage, who came to visit the tombs 
of the Apostles, in A. D. 500, happened to pass through 
the Forum at the time when Theodoric, the King of Italy, 
seated on a high throne, adorned with regal splendor, was 
receiving the homage of the Senate. The sight of all the 
grandeur and magnificence there displayed made such an 
impression on the saint that he exclaimed: ''Ah, how 
beautiful must be the heavenly Jerusalem, if earthly I^ome 
is so glorious ! What honor, glory and joy will God 
bestow on the Saints in heaven, since here, in this perish- 
able life, he clothes with such splendor the lovers and 
admirers of vanity ! " (Alban Butler, Jan. L) 

EngHsh pilgrims, on entering the Forum, will be re- 
minded of the story told by St. Bede the Venerable, of 
St. Gregory the Great and the three Saxon youths, which 
is thus related by Abbot Snow in his life of the Saint, ch. 
2, p. 41. 

Passing through the Forum one day, St. Gregory, then 
prior of S. Andrea on the Coelian, after his resignation of 
the high office of City Praetor or chief magistrate, saw 
three youthful slaves exposed for sale. Loose tunics but 
partially concealed their lithe forms and shapely limbs ; 
light, flaxen hair hung down their shoulders, and their 
blue eyes, restless in their fair, fresh faces, glanced, 
half-defiantly, half-timidly, at the inquisitive crowd. 
Gregory drew near, and struck with their beauty and 
grace, asked the dealer whence they came. 

'' From Britain." 



182 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

" Are the people there Christian or still in pagan dark- 
ness ? " 

" Still pagan," said the merchant. 

"Ah, what a pity," replied Gregory, "that the author 
of Darkness owns such fair faces, and that, with such 
wondrous grace of form they should lack inward grace." 

When asked the name of their nation, the dealer replied 
that they were Angles. 

"True," said Gregory, "for they have angelic faces, 
and should be co-heirs with the angels in heaven. What 
is the name of the province whence they come ? " 

"Deira." 

" Yes ; de ira, snatched from ire and called to the mercy 
of Christ. Who is their King ? " 

"Alia." 

"Alleluia, the praise of God must be sung in those 
parts." 

The story illustrates the playful humor of Gregory and 
his cheerfulness. This incident led to his undertaking the 
conversion of England. 

As the Saint, when Pope, greatly interested himself in 
the ransom of slaves (1) it is not improbable that he pro- 
cured the liberty of these three youths, and trained them 
in his monastery of S. Andrea (S. Gregorio) to become 
future apostles of their country. 

161.— THE BASILICA JULIA IN THE FORUM— THE MAR- 
TYRS OF ROME. 

The right side of the Forum, by which we enter, is 
occupied for a considerable extent by the disinterred re- 
mains of the Basilica Julia, begun by Julius Caesar, and 
finished by Augustus. As the first Christian churches 
were built on the plan of the Roman basilicas, it is inter- 
esting to see the outline of one of these edifices here pre- 
sented to us. 

The typical plan was an oblong rectangle with a broad 



(1) Snow. St, Gregory, p. 204, 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 183 

central nave separated from two side aisles by rows of 
columns. Over the aisles were galleries. At the extremity 
of the building furthest from the chief entrance was a 
raised tribune^ where sat the Roman Praetor or judge with 
his assessors, and which, in the adaptation, became the 
sanctuary of the Christian church. This tribune usually 
constituted an apse of the width of the nave, projecting 
from the main body of the building and covered with a 
semi-circular vault. The Christian high altar, which re- 
placed the throne of the Roman Praetor, stood in the centre 
of the chord of this apse. The basilica served the purpose 
of a hall of justice or law court, and the bar at which the 
criminal was arraigned was known as the Cancelli, whence 
the Christian word *' Chancel." The word Basilica, in 
ecclesiastical language, now denotes one of the greater and 
specially privileged churches of Rome. There are five 
major or patriarchal basilicas (viz., St. John Lateran, St. 
Peter's, St. Mary Major, S. Lorenzo and Santa Croce) 
and eight minor ones. 

How many martyrs must have stood on the pavement 
of the basilica before us, to be examined by the City 
Praetor and his assessors, and to receive their sentence ! 
We may have occasion later to follow in the footsteps of 
the martyrs in Rome ; in the meantime we may briefly 
mention : 

1. That they were arraigned before the Praetor (chief 
magistrate) or one of his representatives in a Court of 
Justice, that is in one of the basilicas, or in one of the tri- 
bunals. 

2. That on receiving their sentence they were cast into 
some frightful dungeon like the Carcere Mamertino, or 
the subterranean vaults under the Vicolo del Ghettarello, 
or under the little church of S. Pantaleone in the Via del 
Colosseo : having been probably detained in prison for 
months before their trial. 

3. That on the day of their martyrdom they were led 
in chains to the Lacus Pastoris, somewhere between the 
church of St. Peter's chains and the Coliseum, where a 



184 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

public herald, standing on the Lapis sceleratus, read aloud 
their names, offence and sentence. 

4. That they were then pitilessly scourged, racked and 
tortured in some spot near the Forum, possibly where the 
little church Sancta Maria in Macello Martyrum now 
stands, its name recalling the cruelty exercised on the 
martyrs. 

5. That finally they were led to the Coliseum or one of the 
other amphitheatres to be exposed to the wild beasts and 
savagery of the gladiators ; or were dragged outside the 
city to the second or third milestone to be dispatched with 
the sword or buried alive in the sand pits. 

6. Others were tied up in sacks and thrown into the 
Tiber or fastened to a tree and shot at with arrows ; or 
roasted on the heated bars of a gridiron ; or beaten to 
death with clubs. 

The different modes of torture are depicted with terrible 
realism in the frescoes of S. Stefano I^otondo. 

162.— SANCTA MARIA ANTIQUA, THE ANCIENT BASILICA 
RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN THE FORUM. 

In 1900, the church of Santa Maria Liberatrice, that 
stood just above the House of the Vestals {Atrium Vestae) 
was taken down and beneath it, serving as its foundation, 
were found the splendid remains of a Christian basilica 
that was already spoken of as "old," antiquay in the 
seventh century. 

It is adorned with frescoes of the Crucifixion, our Lady 
and the Divine Child, angels and saints, which are ex- 
tremely interesting, but unfortunately are beginning to 
fade from exposure to the air. The church is built in 
a part of Diocletian's palace at the foot of the Palatine, 
and has on its front an atrium, or open portico. The 
interior has a nave and two aisles divided by grey granite 
columns, the end or sanctuary wall having the usual apse 
formation. The frescoes are evidence of the great an- 
tiquity of the church — some of them in the purest Byzan- 
tine style, belonging, perhaps, to the sixth century or 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 185 

time of Justinian. On December 21, 1900, the discovery 
of an inscription at the altar end of the left aisle settled 
the name of the church as Sancta Maria Antiqua. One 
of the frescoes represents an ecclesiastic presenting a 
model of the church to our Lady, and beneath him is the 
inscription in the ungrammatical Latin of the time : Theo- 
dotus primocerius defensorum et dispensatore Sanctce Dei 
Genetricis semper que Virgo Marie qui appellatur antiqua. 
This Theodotus is thought to be the uncle of Pope Adrian 
I who, as we are told in the '' Book of the Popes," {Liber 
Pontificalis), began life as an official in the Byzantine gov- 
ernment, and afterwards held a high office in the Church. 

The same Liber Pontificalis informs us that John VII 
(705-707), decorated Sancta Maria Antiqua with paint- 
ings, the reason, no doubt, being that by the construction 
of the Papal residence close by, it had become a Papal 
chapel. After the ninth century the name disappears. 
It would seem that the church and Papal palace were 
destroyed, buried beneath the ruined buildings that fell 
from the Palatine. Near the entrance portico are the 
remains of a chapel dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of 
Sebaste. 

Adjoining the Church of Sancta Maria Antiqua are the 
ruins of the Temple of Augustus, the emperor during 
whose reign our Blessed Saviour was born. It was ex- 
ceedingly rich in pagan times, was plundered by the bar 
barians and converted into a Greek monastery in the 
ninth or tenth century. Later on it was used as a con- 
vent by some Recluses, i. e., a community of religious 
women who shut themselves up in their cells and lived 
dead to the world : but the malaria arising from the stag- 
nant waters of this part of the Forum (the cloacce, or drains 
being choked with rubbish) was so fatal to the nuns that 
the place was finally abandoned. 

163. — ATRIUM VEST^ — HOUSE OF THE VESTALS. 

This interesting building was discovered in 1883. Some 
of the rooms have splendid pavements of many colored 
marbles, arranged in geometrical figures. Round the 



186 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Atrium, or large, open peristyle, were porticos paved with 
mosaic and separated from the open space by pillars of 
cipollino, resting on low parapet walls. Between these 
pillars stood the statues of the Vestales MaximcBy resting 
upon pedestals, whereon were carved eulogistic inscrip- 
tions recording the virtues of these High Priestesses. 
Many of these statues and inscriptions may still be seen, 
and very interesting is one inscription, from which the 
name of the Vestal has been erased, perhaps because she 
became a Christian. In such a case, the sentence of the 
College of Vestals would be damnatio memoricB, or " con- 
demnation to oblivion." Prudentius, in fact, speaks of a 
Vestal named Claudia, who became a Christian, was the 
glory of the Roman Church, and frequently resorted to 
the basilica of S. Lorenzo. (P. Grisar. I Papi, i, p. 25.) 

On the Vestals, their number, their duties, their privi- 
leges, the Palladium they guarded, the penalty they suf- 
fered if convicted of unchastity, see Gerbet. Esquisse de 
I(ome Chretienne, iii., pp. 5-19. 

With St. Ambrose (Ad Valentinianum imp. n. ii. Migne 
P. L. 16 p. 975), we may contrast these Vestal virgins 
with the virgins of the Christian Church. 1. The Vestals 
were chosen by the High Priest when children, and forced 
to lead a life of virginity for thirty years, under threats of 
the most terrible punishment. (1) Christian virgins vol- 
untarily embrace the state of virginity, and that for life, 
from purely supernatural motives. 

2. The Vestals were compensated for this sacrifice 
forced on them by immense riches and extraordinary 
privileges. Christian virgins profess poverty as well as 
chastity, and are lured by no hope of earthly honor or 
gain. 

3. The Vestals went through the city in imperial state, 
robed in cloaks of purple, seated on luxurious chairs, 
borne on the shoulders of attendants and followed by a 



(1) The penalty of unfaithfulness was to be buried alive. One of 
the head Vestals suffered this punishment on a false charge trumped 
up by Domitian. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 187 

long retinue of slaves. They had a place of honor 
assigned them at the gladiatorial shows in the CoHseum 
and at the imperial banquets. 

How poor, hidden, self-denying, persecuted are the 
virgins of the Christian church. 

4. These pagan virgins were only a handful in number 
and were released from their obligations after a certain 
number of years. Christian virgins form a whole popula- 
tion and bind themselves to seek no release from their 
self-imposed obligations of poverty, chastity, obedience. 

The last of the Vestals (A.D. 364) mentioned by the 
pagan writer, Zozimus, presents a sorry figure, as old, 
withered, fretful, she comes into the Forum and, wander- 
ing among its now deserted shrines and broken monu- 
ments, sees Serena, the wife of Stilicho, removing a gold 
necklace from a pagan statue to put it on her own statue ; 
the aged priestess, seized with a paroxysm of rage, heaps 
horrible imprecations on the head of the spoiler. (P. Grisar. 
I Papi, i, p. 25-26.) 

164.— THE VIA SACRA— PAGAN MONUMENTS CONVERTED 
INTO CHRISTIAN CHURCHES. 

The Via Sacra, with its classical memories, has also its 
Christian associations, for it was here that St. Paul, a 
prisoner after his long journey, was given up by Julius to 
Afranius Burrhus, the Pretorian Prefect, whose official 
duty it was to keep in custody all accused persons, re- 
served for trial by the Emperor. Here, also, St. Peter by 
his prayer, frustrated the display of diabolical power by 
Simon Magus. It is probable, too, that many martyrs 
were led along the Via Sacra to the Coliseum. 

Lanciani (Pagan and Christian Rome, p. 160) gives the 
following list of pagan edifices in or near the Forum con- 
verted into Christian churches : 

1. The Coliseum had many churches and oratories, four 

dedicated to our Saviour, one to St. James, one to St. 

Agatha, one to SS. Abdon and Sennen (the latter at the 

foot of the Colossus of the Sun, besides other chapels 

^ which were in the Amphitheatre itself. 



188 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

2. Church of St. Peter, where now stands Sta. Fran- 
cesca, called also Sta. Maria Nuova, on the ruins of the 
temple of Venus. 

3. St, Ccesarius in Palatio, on the opposite side of the 
Via Sacra, under the Palatine ; the apse and nave may 
still be traced. The images of the Byzantine emperors 
were kept here during their reign. 

4. Basilica of Constantine. Nibby here found traces of 
religious paintings. 

5. Templum Sacrce Urbis, and the heroon of K^omulus, 
son of Maxentius, converted into the church of SS. 
Cosmas and Damian. 

6. Temple of Antoninus and Faustina, now the church 
of S. Lorenzo in Miranda. 

7. Temple of Janus Quadrifrons, became the church 
of St. Dionysius, now destroyed. 

8. Hall of the Senate (Curia Romana) now the church 
of S. Adriano. 

9. Offices of the Senate, the present church of S. 
Martina. 

10. Mamertine Prison, the oratory of St. Peter. 

11. Temple of Co7tcord, church of SS. Sergius and Bac- 
chus, now destroyed. 

12. Temple of Saturn, church of S. Salvatore in aerario. 

13. Basilica Julia, church of S. Maria in Foro. 

14. Templum divi Augusti, church of S. Maria Antiqua. 

165. — ANCIENT CHURCH OF ST. PETER IN THE 
FORUM (1) — ST. PETER AND SIMON MAGUS. 

According to St. Jerome and Eusebius Providence led 
St. Peter to Rome, not only to establish a centre of the 
Church there, but to unmask the frauds and impostures 
of Simon Magus. St. Ambrose, St. Justin, St. Cyril of 
Jerusalem, St. Augustine and others relate the story of 
Simon's discomfiture at the prayer of St. Peter, which is 
said to have happened about A. D. 54. 



(1) No. 2 in the list just given. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 189 

Simon had succeeded in ingratiating himself with the 
young Emperor Nero, who seems to have had a morbid 
craving to learn the secrets of the black art. The magician 
had promised the Emperor and people that he would fly 
in the air, carried by angels, and so rival the Ascension 
of Christ. On the appointed day the Emperor and people 
assembled in the Forum, and among the crowd stood St. 
Peter, fearing the effect on the newly converted Christians 
of this display of diabolical power. Suddenly Simon rose 
in the air, as if miraculously, and at once St. Peter fell on 
his knees beseeching our Lord to stop this scandalous 
mockery of the mystery of His Ascension. At the prayer 
of the Apostle the diabolical power was broken and Simon 
was dashed headlong to the ground, staining with his 
blood the balcony on which the Emperor was seated. A 
few days later he died raving with pain and despair. 

The story is confirmed by two pagan writers, Suetonius 
and Dion Chrysostomus, though they do not give Simon's 
name. 

An oratory to St. Peter was built on the spot (on the 
ruins of Hadrian's temple of Venus) in the fourth or fifth 
century, which lasted till 850, when it was replaced by the 
Church of S. Maria Nuova, (1) now called S. Francesca. 
A stone taken from the Via Sacra, with two holes, said 
to be the impression of St. Peter's knees, is preserved in 
this church. 

166. — S. FRANCESCA, ALSO CALLED S. MARIA NUOVA. 

As was just stated, this church replaced the ancient 
oratory of St. Peter, being built by St. Leo IV in 850, 
and consecrated by St. Nicholas I in 860. 

Its name was changed from S. Maria Nuova (1) to 
S. Francesca, after the canonization of this saint in 1608. 

In 1216, it was destroyed by fire, the only part escaping 
being the tribune (sanctuary) with its mosaics and the 



(1) S. Maria Nuova (Nova) was built to replace S. Maria Antiqua, 
which was buried beneath ruins falling from the Palatine in the 
ninth century. 



190 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

ancient picture of our Lady, which for a time was trans- 
ferred to S. Adriano. Honorius III restored the church 
in 1220, and Paul V reduced it to its present form in 1615. 
The campanile, one of the finest in Rome, is of the thir- 
teenth century. 

A most striking object on advancing up the nave is 
the tomb of St. Frances (Francesca) of Rome, a splendid 
monument, rich in bronzes, marbles, jasper and other pre- 
cious stones, made in 1640, at the expense of Donna 
Agata Pamfili, sister of Innocent X, herself an oblate of 
Tor de' Specchi, i. e.y a member of the congregation of 
religious women founded by St. Frances. The beautiful 
marble figure of the saint is by Bernini. 

Above the high altar is the ancient picture of our Lady 
above referred to, brought from Troy by Angelo Frangi- 
pane in 1100, and miraculously preserved from fire in 
1216. The tribune has some remarkable mosaics of the 
time of Nicholas I, A. D. 862. 

In the wall of the right transept is the stone mentioned 
above as retaining, according to popular tradition, the 
impression of St. Peter's knees. In the same transept is 
the tomb of St. Gregory XI, who died in 1739. A bas- 
relief represents his returning to Rome from Avignon, 
led by St. Catherine of Sienna, in 1377, after the Papal 
court had been absent from Rome for seventy-two years. 

In the left transept is a handsome marble ciborium after 
the style of Mino da Fiesole. 

The church is chiefly interesting because of its associa- 
tion with St. Frances of Rome, foundress of the Oblates 
of Tor de' Specchi, one of the saints whose memory is 
held in special benediction by the Roman people. 

She was born in 1384, and baptized at S. Agnese in 
Piazza Navona. Her mother, Isabella de' Rofi"redeschi, 
being very devout, took her child with her in her daily 
visits to one or other of the Roman churches. This church 
of S. Maria Nuova in the Forum was served at the time, 
and is still, by Olivetan monks or White Benedictines. 
To one of them, named Don Antonio di Monte Savello, 
Isabella entrusted the spiritual direction of her daughter. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 191 

He continued to be her director for over thirty years. 
Every Wednesday the little maiden came here to him to 
confession, and consulted him about all her acts of piety 
and mortification. She died in 1440 and was canonized in 
1608. She had been a saint from childhood, and at her 
death the popular emotion was indescribable ; her name 
was heard, her intercession invoked in every street, every 
piazza, every corner of the Eternal City. One of the 
most remarkable things of her life is that for thirty years 
she enjoyed the visible presence of her angel guardian. 

167.— ARCH OF TITUS — THE FLAVIAN EMPERORS 
AND CHRISTIANITY. 

Near the church of S. Francesca is the Arch of Titus, a 
noble monument of pentelic marble, splendidly preserved. 
One of the bas-reliefs represents a triumphal march with 
Jewish captives, and soldiers bearing the golden table, the 
golden seven-branched candlestick and other spoils of the 
temple of Jerusalem. (1) 

The Flavian Emperors were Vespasian, Titus and 
Domitian. 

Flavius Vespasian, 69-79, was proclaimed Emperor by 
the powerful army in the East under his command. Leav- 
ing the siege of Jerusalem to his son Titus he went to 
Alexandria to take possession of Egypt, and thence re- 
turned to R,ome. Jerusalem fell in A. D. 70 ; a million 
Jews perished in the siege. 

Vespasian was humane, pacific, not unfriendly to the 
Christians; he reformed many flagrant abuses, and beau- 
tified Rome by magnificent buildings, viz., the Coliseum 
and Capitol. 

His elder brother, Titus Fabius Sabinus, most probably 
a Christian, had a son who was a saint and martyr, viz., 
St. Flavius Clemens, the Consul, put to death by his 
cousin, the Emperor Domitian. Flavius Clemens had 
married St. Flavia Domitilla the elder, and their two sons, 



( 1 ) These sacred spoils were kept in a temple of the Forum of 
Vespasian, behind the present church of SS. Cosma e Damiano. 



192 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the younger Vespasian and Domitian, were destined by 
Domitian as his successors, till he found out they were 
Christians. (1) After their father's martyrdom and the 
exile of their mother, they disappeared from history, and 
it is probable they were also put to death by Domitian, on 
account of their religion. 

Titus, son of Vespasian, and cousin of St. Flavius 
Clemens, began his reign in 79, which lasted only seven- 
teen months. He was even more humane and pacific 
than his father, and so beloved by his subjects that he 
was styled " the delight of mankind." 

Domitian, 81-96, Titus' brother, turned out a second 
Nero : he had all the vices of Nero, with his hatred of 
Christianity. Under this tyrant began the second great 
persecution against the Church, the principal victims 
being St. John the Apostle, immersed in a cauldron of 
boiling oil, St. Flavius Clemens, St. Flavia Domitilla the 
elder, St. Flavia Domitilla the younger, both driven into 
exile, SS. Nereus and Achilleus. Domitian was mur- 
dered by the freedmen of his palace. 

168. — SS. COSMA E DAMIANO. 

The approach to this ancient church is by a side street 
near the Forum end of the Via Cavour. It was originally 
the Templum Almce Urhis, where the archives of the Cen- 
sor, the municipal plans and registration lists were proba- 
bly kept. Adjoining it, and forming part of the present 
church is a circular temple (heroon) erected by the Em- 
peror Maxentius to his son Romulus. The two temples 
were transformed into a church by Pope St. Felix IV in 
528, and dedicated to SS. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs, 
who suffered at ^gea in the persecution of Diocletian. 
They were physicians by profession and exercised their 
art out of charity. 



(1) Quintilian was their tutor and dedicated to them the fourth 
book of his Institutiones. St. Flavia Domitilla the younger, was 
their cousin, and the two martyrs SS. Nereus and Achilleus were 
in the service of the family. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 193 

In 780 the church v/as restored by Adrian I. 

In 1633 the floor, being considerably beneath the level 
of the soil, made the church damp and unhealthy. Urban 
VIII raised the floor so as to be even with the ground 
outside, and thus an upper and lower church were formed, 
beneath the latter being the ancient crypt. 

The high altar has an ancient picture of our Lady, ven- 
erated since the time of St. Gregory the Great. The 
splendid mosaics of the Tribune vault, the work of St. 
Felix IV in 528, are among the finest in Rome. They 
should be seen in the morning light. 

Adjoining the church is a round vestibule which serves 
as an extension of the nave ; it is the upper part of the 
temple of Romulus, mentioned above. 

The lower church has an ancient altar, some remains of 
side chapels, some frescoes badly injured by the damp and 
an ancient pavement. 

Lower still in the crypt is St. Felix's well, and near it 
the spot where the bodies of SS. Marcus, Marcellinus, 
Tranquillinus, Felix II and Victor were discovered in 
1582. (See Roman Martyrology, July 29.) The history 
of the three first saints is familiar to readers of Cardinal 
Wiseman's Fabiola. 

169. — SHRINES OF SAINTS, RELIGIOUS MEMORIES. 

Besides the bodies of SS. Cosm^as and Damian, placed 
here by St. Gregory the Great, the church possesses the 
bodies of St. Felix II, SS. Marcus, Marcellinus, Tran- 
quillinus, Victor, Anthemius, Leontius, Euprepius, mar- 
tyrs, the three latter being enshrined in a vase of por- 
phyry in the chapel of the Crucifix. 

In the great procession of penance prescribed by St. 
Gregory the Great (pope-elect) during the pestilence of 
590, the clerics started from this church. 

Gregory IV (828-844) is said to have here hidden him- 
self when elected Pope against his will. 

The church is served by priests of the Third Order of 
St. Francis, known as Frati Bigii, who also have the 
Church of St. John at the Latin Gate. 



194 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

So many bodies of martyrs impart a special sacredness 
to this church, and remind us of what is told of St. Fran- 
cis de Sales, that while the sight of the pompous remains 
of ancient I^ome gave him a feeling of contempt for 
worldly grandeur, the tombs of the martyrs drew every- 
where tears of devotion from his eyes. 

170. — S. LORENZO IN MIRANDA — S. MARIA IN MACELLO 
MARTYRUM. 

The first church was originally the temple of Antoninus 
and Faustina, the magnificent portico and frieze of which 
are so well preserved. The date of its transformation 
into a church is unknown, and it is doubtful if any men- 
tion of it as a church occurs before 1377. It belongs to 
the guild or confraternity of apothecaries, and has little 
inside that calls for special notice. The name Miranda is 
perhaps the name of some family, or may have been 
given to the church because of the wonderful monuments 
near it. 

Not far off, in the Via Alessandrina, is the church of ^. 
Maria in Macello Martyrum, a name that can be traced to 
the twelfth century, and is thought to refer to the great 
numbers of martyrs who were here scourged, racked and 
subjected to other frightful tortures. (Armellini. Chiese 
di Ifoma, p. 171.) If we had passed the place in the days 
of persecution we might have seen the ghastly equuleus 
or gallows-rack erected, and some youthful martyr for the 
Faith extended and dislocated on it, his sides torn with 
hooks or scorched by iron plates ; or we might have heard 
the sound of the heavy, lead-weighted scourges plied with 
pitiless brutality on aged men, tender youths and even 
children. Some of these innocent victims of the Faith 
were hung from a beam suspended by the feet, while a 
fire was kindled beneath their heads, their gasping lips 
made to receive the suffocating smoke. Others had their 
sides raked with cruel steel scorpions, and then burning 
torches applied to the lacerations. What a powerful 
grace was needed to support poor human nature in such 
a terrible conflict ! That grace alone explains the heroic 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 195 

constancy of the millions of martyrs throughout the world 
of every age, every clime, every country, whose suffer- 
ings and death for justice* sake form one of the many con- 
vincing arguments of the divinity of the Church of Christ. 

171. — OUR LADY AND ROME— A PILGRIM'S INVOCATION, 
BY FATHER FABER. 

O Mary ! Mother Mary ! our tears are flowing fast, 

For mighty Rome, St. Philip's home, is desolate and 

waste ; 
There are wild beasts in her palaces (1) far fiercer and 

more bold 
Than those that licked the martyr's feet in heathen days 

of old. 
O Mary ! Mother Mary 1 that dear City was thine own. 
And brightly once a thousand lamps before thine altar 

shone ; 
At the corners of the streets thy Child's sweet Face and 

thine 
Charmed evil out of many hearts and darkness out of 

mine. 
By Peter's Cross and Paul's sharp Sword, dear Mother 

Mary, pray ! 
By the dungeon deep, the Mamertine, where they in dur- 
ance lay. 
And by the Church thou know'st so well beside the Latin 

Gate, 
For the love of John, dear Mother ! stay the hapless City's 

fate. 
For the imprisoned (2) Pontiff's sake, our Father and Our 

Lord, 
O Mother ! bid the angel sheathe his keen, avenging 

sword ; 
For the Vicar of thy Son, imprisoned though he be, 
Is busy with thine honor, thy feasts and Rosary. (3) 

(1) The leaders of the revolution of 1848-49. 

(2) " Exiled ' ' in the original. Pius IX was then an exile at Gaeta. 

(3) In the original " Is busied with thine honor now by that sweet 
summer sea." Pius IX, at Gaeta, was seeking light as to the defini- 
tion of the Immaculate Conception. 



196 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

O ! by the Joy thou hadst in Rome, when every street 

and square 
Burned with the fire of holy love St. Philip kindled there ! 
And by that throbbing heart of his which thou didst keep 

at Rome, 
Let not the lawless spoiler waste dear Father Philip's 

home ; 
O by the dread basilicas, the pilgrim's gates to heaven. 
By all the shrines and relics God to Christian Rome has 

given, 
By the countless Ave-Marias that have rung from out its 

towers. 
By Peter's threshold, Mother! save this pilgrim-place of 

ours ! 



CHAPTER VIII. 

To THE Coliseum and Palatine. 

172. —VIA DEI SERPENTI— ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH 
LABRE— ST. JOHN BERCHMANS. 

From the Quirinal there is a direct road to the Coliseum 
by the Via della Consulta and Via dei Serpenti, crossing 
the Via Nazionale. 

In a small house in the Via dei Serpenti (No. 3) died 
St. Benedict Joseph Labre, the holy mendicant, on April 16, 
1783. His favorite church was the neighboring one of 5. 
Maria in Monti, and there, as he knelt before the Blessed 
Sacrament on the day mentioned, he felt that his end was 
near. Rising, he staggered to the church door, and un- 
able to proceed further, sat down on the doorsteps, where 
his agony began. A kind friend, who happened to be 
passing, took compassion on him and carried him to his 
own house near the church, where the saint breathed forth 
his pure soul to God that same evening at the early age of 
thirty-three years. 

He was born in the diocese of Boulogne, France, in 
1748, of parents pious and in easy circumstances. A saint 
from his childhood, his one desire was to consecrate him- 
self to God in some austere religious order, and he be- 
came a novice first of the Carthusians, then of the Trap- 
pists, but in both cases was compelled to leave because 
of his frail constitution. In the world he resolved to lead 
a life of absolute poverty and severe penance ; so, renounc- 
ing his home and the comforts of life, he wandered 
through Europe as a mendicant pilgrim from sanctuary to 
sanctuary, living on the scraps of food that were given him 
as alms, and sleeping on the bare ground. In 1777 he 
came to Rome, never to leave it up to the time of his 
death, except for an annual pilgrimage to Loretto. His 

197 



198 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

time was spent in prayer in the different churches of the 
Holy City (chiefly in the Gesu and S. Maria in Monti) and 
in works of charity to the poor, for whom he begged alms, 
whose children he catechized, and whom he taught by his 
holy example to bear with resignation their hard lot. At 
night he retired for a short rest to some church porch, but 
more frequently to the Coliseum, where he was favored 
with heavenly visions. He was canonized by Pope Leo 
XIII in 1881, and his shrine is in his favorite church of S. 
Maria in Monti. The room where he died, at No. 3, Via 
dei Serpenti, may be visited. 

On the steps of S. Maria in Monti, where St. Benedict 
Joseph Labre fell into his agony, St. John Berckmans, the 
young Jesuit scholastic, preached a sermon to the people, 
under circumstances described by Father Goldie in his 
life of the saint, page 179. The church stands in a 
thickly populated and poor quarter of the city. The 
young saint, accompanied by another scholastic, placed a 
table on or near the church steps to serve as a pulpit ; but 
some rough men of the street, who were playing at ball, 
seized hold of the table, telling the young religious they 
would have none of their preaching, as they wanted to 
continue their game. St. John did not answer a word, 
but entered the church, threw himself on his knees, and 
after a short prayer came out again resolved to begin his 
discourse. His companion was timid and warned him 
that there would be a disturbance. ** Do not be afraid," 
answered the saint, *' I have confidence in our Lady, and 
the moment I begin they will leave off their game and 
come and listen to me." He got on the table, and while 
he was saying the Hail Mary as the opening prayer, the 
players left their game and all gathered round to hear. 
When the sermon was over, the audience, deeply im- 
pressed, escorted the two young religious back to the 
Koman College. 

In the house adjoining S. Maria in Monti lived St. 
Alphonsus Liguori during his stay in Rome in the time of 
Clement XIII. Had we met him in the street, without 
knowing him to be a saint, we should have been impressed 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 199 

at the sight of the holy man, as Tannoja, his biographer^ 
describes him, *'clad in an old mantle patched all over, 
with a cassock in the same condition. Such poverty was 
itself a sermon, for all knew his noble birth and were con- 
founded to see him thus clothed like a beggar." 

Opposite the church of S. Maria in Monti was the con- 
vent of Farnesian nuns, known as Sepoltevive, ''buried 
alive," who lived entirely cut off from all communication 
with the outer world, spending their time in prayer, works 
of penance, and perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacra- 
ment. Their convent home has been razed to the ground 
by the Italian government since 1870, to make way for 
modern tenement houses, and the good religious have 
been sent adrift. 

Near the same church is a piazza with a fountain, and 
on one side of the square will be noticed the new K,uthe- 
nian College, founded by the present Emperor of Austria, 
and placed under the care of the Jesuit Fathers. 

173. — THE COLISEUM, OR FLAVIAN AMPHITHEATRE. 

If every part of the soil of Rome is sacred, because red- 
dened with the blood of martyrs, that of the Coliseum is 
especially holy, and to prevent this battlefield of the first 
soldiers of Christ, saturated with their blood, from being 
trodden under the feet of the tourist and the curious, the 
Popes caused the arena to be covered with fifteen feet of 
sand. The present masters of Rome, who have no re- 
spect for holy ground, have defaced the Stations of the 
Cross that once stood here, and grubbed up the arena in 
search of ancient substructures and passages, looking also 
for pagan relics, interested, says Father Anderdon, if 
they can find the jaw bone of some defunct hyena. 

The colossal pile before us, '' which for magnitude can 
only be compared to the pyramids of Egypt, and which 
is perhaps the most striking monument at once of the ma- 
terial and moral degradation of Rome under the empire," 
was commenced by the Emperor Vespasian in A.D. 12, 
and finished by his son, Titus, in A.D. 80. The captive 
Jews, led in chains to Rome after the destruction of Jeru- 



200 PII.GRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 

salem, (1) were employed on its construction, amid terri- 
ble hardships, the Coliseum being thus a monument of 
their sufferings and tears, as Jerusalem, leveled to the 
ground, is a symbol of their rejection. 

The outline of the building is elliptic, the exterior 
length being 607 feet, and its breadth 512 feet ; it is 
pierced with 80 vaulted openings or '' vomitories " in the 
ground story, over which are superimposed on the ex- 
terior face three other stories, the whole rising perpendic- 
ularly to a height of 159 feet. The arena is 253 by 153 
feet and covers extensive substructures provided for the 
needs and machinery of gladiatorial displays. A system 
of awnings was provided for shading the entire interior. 
It is estimated that the Coliseum provided seats for 87,000 
spectators. The exterior of the building is faced with 
travertine ; the interior is built of brick and was covered 
with marble. 

The dedication lasted a hundred days ; several thousand 
gladiators were killed, '^ butchered to make a K,oman holi- 
day ; " five thousand wild beasts were destroyed, and a 
naval battle was fought in the amphitheatre, which, by 
means of inundation, was converted into a lake. The 
unhappy gladiators were chiefly captives or slaves from 
northern barbarous races, condemned to fight to the death 
to amuse the Emperor and the people of Rome. 

*'We, who wander among the ruined arches of the 
Coliseum," says Father Anderdon, S.J., ''find a diffi- 
culty in picturing to the imagination what it was in the 
days of its splendor. The rough massy blocks of traver- 
tine, now crumbling and exposed, were overlaid, within 
and without the building, with white marble. The ex- 
ternal walls were adorned with numerous marble statues 
that stood beneath the arches. Within, the benches went 
circling round tier after tier till they reached a height that 
was only less imposing than the lateral extent. Nothing 
met the eye that was not gorgeous, gay, artistic, costly 



(1) Josephus says over one million Jews perished in the siege, and 
97,000 were sold as slaves or reserved for the amphitheatre. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 201 

and luxurious. The Emperor is there seated on the cush- 
ioned marble under a silken canopy ; one of the most 
prominent portions of the magnificent oval sweep is al- 
lotted to the Vestals, who sit there in their spotless white 
robes, complacent or excited spectators of the bloodshed ; 
the stately Senate is there, and the company of the K.o- 
man knights ; matrons in rich attire ; all that R,ome holds 
of honored in society, eminent in literature and art, valor- 
ous in war." {Evenings with the Saints, p. 18.) In the 
upper tiers were the K.oman people. 

Cardinal Wiseman's description of the Coliseum may be 
read in Fahiola, chap. 23. 

In the arena, where we are standing, Christian martyrs 
have knelt with their eyes fixed on the ground, while 
some 90,000 spectators awaited with impatience the shed- 
ding of their blood, and yelled in maddening excitement 
*'The Christians to the lions." Tender virgins have 
stood there, young men, too, and boys of noble aspect, 
with their eyes fixed on heaven, fearless in the midst of 
that sea of human passions, undismayed by the roars of 
the savage beasts that were pacing their dens close by. 

''What a spectacle it was, savage and sublime! The 
rays of a brilliant sun inundated the vast edifice with its 
light ; marbles, columns, statues — all were resplendent. 
The awning with its graceful undulations cooled the 
scorching rays of the sun and tempered its brilliancy. 
. . . A sacrifice to Jupiter is first offered in presence 
of the Emperor. . . . Then the signal is given for 
another sacrifice. It is not Caesar, but a young girl, one 
of the Vestal virgins, who stands and gives the sign. At 
once the dens encircling the arena are opened, and with 
bounds, as if of joy at regaining their liberty, the savage 
beasts, not yet heeding their victims, traverse the whole 
space again and again. One tiger stands ; its attention is 
arrested. Suddenly all are motionless. They advance 
stealthily at first as if in fear. A bound ! and the mar- 
tyr's soul is in the embrace of his God." {Irish Monthly, 
1899, p. 375.) 



202 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

174. — MARTYRS OF THE COLISEUM. 

In the persecution of the Emperor Trajan, SL IgnatiuSy 
Bishop of Antioch and disciple of St. John the Evange- 
list, was condemned to death. There was a tradition in 
the east that he was the little child whom our Saviour set 
in the midst of His disciples as a pattern of humility, sim- 
plicity and innocence. Nov/ advanced in years he was 
thrown into chains and brought to I(ome. He knew the 
fate that awaited him in that city, and was full of holy im- 
patience to shed his blood. '' May those beasts," he says 
to his brethren, ''be my gain, which are in readiness for 
me ! I will provoke and coax them to devour me quickly 
and not to be afraid of me, as they are of some whom 
they will not touch. Should they be unwilling, I will 
compel them. Bear with me : I know what is my gain. 
Now I begin to be a disciple. Of nothing of things vis- 
ible or invisible am I ambitious, save to gain Christ. 
Whether it is fire or the cross, the assault of wild beasts, 
the wrenching of my bones, the crunching of my limbs, 
the crushing of my whole body, let the tortures of the 
devil all assail me, if I do but gain Christ Jesus." 

He reached K.ome on the last day of the annual games 
and was conducted to the amphitheatre. There he knelt 
in the arena, while some 70,000 or 80,000 spectators 
scream excitedly, ''The Christian to the lions!" The 
glorious champion of the faith raising his eyes to heaven, 
murmured the words, "I am the wheat of the Lord; I 
must be ground by the teeth of the lions to become the 
bread of the Lord Jesus Christ." Two lions were in- 
stantly let loose from the dens : they rushed on him, tore 
him to pieces and devoured the limbs amidst the applause 
of the people, A.D. 107. 

After his glorious combat nothing was found of him but 
the larger bones and a portion of the skull. These, St. 
John Chrysostom relates (see MESSENGER, p. 38) were 
gathered up with pious care by the Christian bystanders, 
and "borne in triumph on the shoulders of all the cities 
from Rome to Antioch." In 637, when Antioch fell into 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN PvOME. 203 

the hands of the infidel Saracen, these precious relics were 
brought back to K.ome, and are now under the high altar 
of S. Clemente. A part of the skull is at the Gesu, and a 
relic of the arm at S. Maria del Popolo. 

S5. Abdonand Sennetiy two noble Persians, who came 
to Rome in the persecution of Decius, A.D. 250, nobly 
confessed the faith, were cruelly tormented and finally 
beheaded in the Coliseum. Their remains were exposed 
to public insult at the foot of the gigantic statue of Nero- 
Apollo or '' Colossus of the Sun " (the base of which may 
still be seen close to the Coliseum), till they were rescued 
by the Christians and buried in the cemetery Ad Ursum 
Pileatum. They are at present under the high altar of S. 
Marco. 

In the year 303, St. Vitus, a boy of twelve of noble 
birth, who had been instructed in the Christian faith, St. 
Crescentia, his former nurse, and St. Modestus, her hus- 
band, after suffering many cruel tortures were exposed to 
the wild beasts in the amphitheatre in the presence, it is 
said, of Diocletian. The arm of St. Vitus is preserved 
in his church near St, Mary Major, and his intercession is 
invoked in many forms of painful disease. 

Of the martyrs who suffered in the Coliseum little is 
known : Father Bonavenia {Guida di ^oma, p. 222) gives 
the names of SS. Eustachius, Julius, Marius, Martina, 
Tutiana, Prisca. 

Piazza (Emerologio Sacvo, I, p. 196) mentions 260 
martyrs, who were condemned to work in the pozzolana 
pits outside the Porta Salaria, and finally put to a cruel 
death in the Coliseum. They were buried by the Christians 
in the cemetery known as ^^ Clivum Cucumeris, but their 
relics have been transferred to S. Martina in Foro and 
other churches in Rome. 

Two large inscriptions placed on the Coliseum by 
Clement X in the Jubilee of 1675, speak of the amphi- 
theatre as ennobled with the blood of comitless martyrs. 
" Amphitheatrum Flavium non tam operis mole et artificio 
— quam sacro innumberabilium Martyrum cruore illustre, 
etc." (See Piazza. Ibid.) 



204 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The cruel scenes of the CoHseum were but the close of 
a prolonged series of tortures explained above in our visit 
to 5. Maria in Macello Martyrum. After being scourged 
and tortured on the rack, the martyrs were finally sum- 
moned from their prison to the combat in the arena. 
They hastily embraced and bade each other a last fare- 
well on earth. They entered the arena, or pit of the 
Coliseum, opposite the imperial seat, and had to pass be- 
tween two files of venatoreSy or huntsmen, who had the 
care of the wild beasts, each armed with a heavy whip 
wherewith he inflicted a blow on every one, as he went 
by him. Then they were brought forward singly or in 
groups, as the people desired, or the directors of the 
spectacle chose. '' Sometimes the intended prey was 
placed on an elevated platform to be more conspicuous ; 
at another time he was tied up to a post to be more help- 
less. One encounter with a single wild beast often finished 
the martyr's course ; while occasionally three or four were 
successfully let loose, without their inflicting a mortal 
wound. The confessor was then either remanded to 
prison for further torments, or taken back to the spolia- 
torium {i. e., the press-room, where their fetters and chains 
had been removed) where the gladiators' apprentices 
amused themselves with despatching him." (Cardinal 
Wiseman, Fabiola, chap. 23). 

175.— SAINTS AT THE COLISEUM. 

As late as the year 404, i.e., seventy-five years after 
Constantine had forbidden all human butchery in the am- 
phitheatre, gladiatorial fights still went on, for the old pas- 
sion could not be uprooted from the populace, in spite of 
their conversion to Christianity. On one public occasion 
in 404, while the gladiatorial shows were proceeding, 
St. TelemachuSy an Eastern monk, threw himself into the 
arena to try to stop the bloodshed. The mob, infuriated 
at his interference, stoned him to death. This induced 
the Emperor Honorius to suppress the cruel performances 
forever. 

St. Gregory the Great, whose home on the Coelian was 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 205 

SO near to the Coliseum, must often have come here to 
venerate the memory of the martyrs. A story is told of 
his reverence for the very dust of this amphitheatre, when 
he was raised to the throne of St. Peter. The ambassa- 
dors of the Emperor Mauritius being in K.ome, asked him 
for some relics of martyrs to take back with them to the 
churches of Constantinople. The saint bade a cleric take 
them to the Coliseum and give them a handful of sand 
gathered in the arena. On their complaining that such a 
gift was an insult to them and their royal master, St. 
Gregory took in his hand the cloth containing the sand, 
squeezed it gently and lo ! drops of fresh blood trickled 
forth. This event is represented in the painting over St. 
Gregory's altar at St. Peter's. 

St. Philip Neri often came to spend long hours in prayer 
in the Coliseum. He was here assaulted on one occasion 
by an evil spirit, who appeared under a horrible form, to 
terrify him. At another time three devils tried to frighten 
him in the Via Capo di Bove. 

St. Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751) preached in the 
Coliseum in the Holy Year 1750, and erected in the arena 
a large cross and fourteen chapels of the stations, which 
the Italian government removed in 1874. 

St. Benedict Joseph Labre (1748-1783) was accustomed 
to spend the night amid the ruins of the Coliseum, partly 
in prayer and meditation, partly allowing himself a brief 
rest behind the chapel of the Fifth Station, now destroyed. 

In the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola it is stated that when 
the house of Santa Maria della Strada was in great pov- 
erty and debt, miraculous gifts and supplies of food not 
unfrequently arrived in answer to the saint's prayers. 
One day the lay-brother, Giovanni della Croce, whose 
duty was to attend to domestic supplies, was passing the 
Coliseum, when he suddenly met a stranger (supposed to 
have been an angel), who, without saying a word, handed 
him a purse containing a hundred gold crowns. Before 
the brother had time to examine the contents of the purse 
the stranger had disappeared. 



206 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

176. — VICISSITUDES OF THE COLISEUM. 

An outline of the history of this wonderful building will 
be found in Lanciani's I(uins of Ancient I(ome , p. 372, seq. 
and in Gerbet's Esquisse de I(ome Chretienney vol. ii., p. 
453, seq. 

In A.D. 217, Macrinus being Emperor, it was repeatedly 
struck by lightning ; the wood-work of the fourth story 
caught fire, and the falling embers set the floor of the 
arena ablaze. (Lanciani, Ibid.) This caused it to be 
abandoned for many years. 

*'In 240 the Emperor Philippus celebrated the millen- 
nium of the city with the secular games, in the course of 
which all the wild beasts collected by Gordianus the 
younger, in view of his Persian triumph, were slain. The 
biographer mentions among them thirty elephants, ten 
elks, ten tigers, ten wild lions and sixty tame ones, thirty 
tame leopards, ten hyenas, nineteen giraffes, twenty wild 
asses, forty wild horses, one hippopotamus, one rhinoc- 
eros, besides a thousand pairs of gladiators." Ibid. 

In 281, on occasion of the triumph of Probus, one 
hundred lions were let loose in the arena at the same time. 

In 325, the year of the Council of Nice, the Emperor 
Constantine issued a decree forbidding gladiatorial shows ; 
but they still went on. 

In 404 the self-sacrifice of St. Telemachus, related above, 
induced Honorius to stop these inhuman butcheries for- 
ever. 

In 422 the building suffered greatly from an earthquake 
and was restored by Theodosius II and Valentinian III. 

About 480 another earthquake did great damage, which 
was repaired in 508. 

The last shows (fights of wild beasts) recorded were 
those of Anicius Maximus in 523. 

The building seems to have been still entire in the 
eighth century, when St. Bede wrote his famous proverb : 
**Quamdiu stat Colisaeus, stabit et I^oma : quando cadet 
Colisaeus, cadet et K.oma." 

In early mediaeval times many churches and oratories 
were erected in the Coliseum, four being dedicated to our 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 207 

Saviour, one to our Lady of Consolation, one to St. James, 
one to St. Agatha, besides other chapels in the arena. At 
the foot of the huge bronze statue of the Sun outside the 
amphitheatre was an oratory consecrated to SS. Abdon 
and Sennen, whose bodies after martyrdom were exposed 
to public insult on this spot. 

In the eleventh century the huge building became a 
fortress, of which the Frangipani and the Annibaldi, two 
rival families, disputed the possession. The former fam- 
ily held it till 1312, when it became public property. The 
** Frangipani treasure " is said to have been found in 1805 
while the foundations of the buttress of Pius VI were 
being laid. 

In 1362 it was left a ruin and served as a stone quarry 
for public buildings. By 1381 the part facing the CoeHan 
had already perished, the rest being transformed into a 
hospital. 

In spite of a brief of Eugenius IV (1431-1439) forbid- 
ding the rapacity of the Roman masons, the building con- 
tinued to be used as a stone quarry, and furnished mate- 
rials for the Palazzo di Venezia, the Pons ^milius (Ponte 
Rotto), the Cancellaria, the Palazzo Farnese, etc. One of 
the last edifices built with its stones was the Palazzo Bar- 
berini under Urban VIII, and this wanton spoliation sug- 
gested the caustic remark: ''Quod non fecerunt Barbari 
fecerunt Barberiniy 

Benedict XIV (1740-1758) consecrated the arena in 
memory of the holy Martyrs and of the Passion of our 
Saviour. 

In 1805 Pius VII restored and strengthened the edifice 
on the eastern side : the restoration being continued by 
Leo XII, Pius VIII, Pius IX. 

Lanciani {I^uins, etc., p. 379) adds: ''The flora of the 
Coliseum was once famous. Sebastiani enumerates 260 
species in his Flora ColiseUy and their number was subse- 
quently increased to 420 by Deakin. These materials for 
a hortus siccus, so dear to the visitors of the ruins, were 
destroyed in 1871, and the ruins scraped and shaven 
clean." 



208 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

177. — REFLECTIONS IN THE COLISEUM — PERSECUTION. 

Father Anderdon, S.J., {Evenings with the Saints ^ p. 
151) observes : *' Times of persecution bring to the sur- 
face a fortitude, which might have been lying dormant in 
a character for years, beneath a calm and quiet exterior, 
till it comes out under the iron pressure of man's cruelty. 
The normal state of such periods of history is endurance 
for the truth ; and the watchword of its martyrs, confes- 
sors, sufferers in whatever degree, sounds in the trumpet- 
note of the Apostle : ' Watch ye ; stand fast in the faith ; 
do manfully and be strengthened.' (Cor. 16, 13.) 
Indeed, the simple alternative was to suffer or to 
apostatize. As Blessed Thomas More said of the oath of 
supremacy, * It lies between beheading and hell.' " 

Some privileged martyrs, like St. Lawrence, were sup- 
ported amid their pains with an ecstatic joy, that made 
them almost insensible to the physical suffering. Others 
retained their natural fear of suffering, especially as pre- 
sented in the appalling forms in which persecution threat- 
ened them. They feared the suffering, ''but they had a 
greater dread of dishonoring their Lord and King by 
apostasy, and so losing their souls. This second fear, 
overmastering the first, taught them to endure." 

St. Ambrose vividly depicts this twofold apprehension 
that swayed the mind of a martyr : *' IRepresent to your- 
selves the martyr, surrounded by perils. On the one side, 
the growling of savage beasts strikes terror into the soul ; 
on the other clash the heavy plates of metal, and the 
roaring fiery furnace is all aflame. Here, heavy chains 
rattle as they are dragged along ; there, the blood-stained 
executioner stands ready. Whithersoever he turns his eyes, 
naught but instruments of torture meet his sight. Then 
his thoughts revert to the Divine command ; to those 
quenchless fires that shall never cease to devour the un- 
faithful ; to the pains of those punishments ever renewed. 
His heart is agitated with dread, lest under the present 
stress he surrender himself to eternal perdition. His 
mind is perturbed, while he beholds, as in actual vision, 
that dreadful sword of the judgment to come. Do not the 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 209 

two emotions combine with equal power to move, amid all 
his trusts, this constant man — (viz.) confident hope of the 
eternal good he desires, and fear, while he ponders the 
word divine ? " (In Psal. 118. Serm. 21.) 

In every case God's grace was at hand to support the 
poor sufferer in the conflict and to enable him to triumph. 
And what strong grace was needed, and how abundantly- 
it was bestowed to enable the Christian to overcome the 
dread suffering and to withstand the savage efforts of the 
persecutor ! Not brave soldiers only, nor hardy slaves or 
gladiators, nor stalwart men of middle life, inured to pain 
and blood, but young men, delicate maidens, tender chil- 
dren, these, by nature the weakest and most unlikely, con- 
fronted the fierce determination of the persecutor with a 
meek resolution that overbore and outwearied his own. 
It was the strength, not of nature, but of grace ; therefore 
of God. (Anderdon, S.J. Ibid,) 

In the Coliseum we are standing on the Calvary of the 
early Church, crimsoned with the blood of countless mar- 
tyrs, ** sacro innumerabilium martyrum cruore illustre." 
Formerly pilgrims used to kneel and kiss the soil that has 
drunk in the blood of Christ's innocent ones. 

On the Palatine hill, close by, are the remains of the 
palaces of those who, with diabolical hate, sought to up- 
root the Christian Faith, to blot out the Christian name, 
using fire and sword and every kind of torture that fiend- 
ish ingenuity could devise, sparing neither sex nor age, 
nor condition, nor class ; but while the memory of Nero, 
Domitian, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian and the other per- 
secuting emperors inspires loathing and horror, that of 
their martyred victims is hallowed with undying praise. 
** The memory of the just is with praises : and the name 
of the wicked shall rot." (Prov. 10, 7.) 

178. — META SUDANS AND THE ARCH OF CONSTANTINE. 

Close to the Coliseum are the remains of an ancient 
fountain known as Meta Sudans^ i.e.y ''The Sweating 
Goal," concerning which Lanciani's I(uins of Ancient 
Rome, p. 193, may be consulted. It existed in the time 



210 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

of Nero, for Seneca speaks of it, and was rebuilt by Do- 
mitian, as stated by Cassiodorus. It had the shape of a 
goal of the circus, was built of brick and cased with 
marble. From the top the water flowed down in sprays 
and cascades into a broad basin on the ground, whence 
the designation of Sudans. Gladiators are here said to 
have washed their blood-stained arms and swords. A 
chapel of our Lady seems to have been here at one time, 
and was known as "■ Santa Maria de Meta." It is men- 
tioned by Armellini, Chiese di I(oma, 2d ed., p. 522. 

The Arch of Constantine spans the Via Triumphalis 
which leads to the Via Appia, the latter beginning at the 
Porta Capena, a little beyond S. Gregorio. This tri- 
umphal arch was raised to Constantine the Great by the 
Roman Senate and people in commemoration of his vic- 
tory over the tyrant Maxentius, A.D. 312. It consists of 
three arches with eight fluted Corinthian columns of giallo 
anticOy and bas-reliefs of different periods, the upper ones 
of finer workmanship being taken from the arch of Trajan. 

Lanciani observes that the inscription, containing the 
two memorable words Instinctu DivinitatiSy proclaimed 
officially in the face of imperial Rome, that the empire 
owed its deliverance by Constantine from the tyranny of 
Maxentius to the favor of the one true God. 

Constantine, son of St. Helena and the first Christian 
Emperor (312-337), seems to have remained a catechu- 
men for many years after his vision, being baptized only 
towards the end of his life. He is styled the Great, 
because of the establishment of Christianity as the relig- 
ion of the empire, the foundation of Constantinople, and 
the reorganization of the empire. The postponement of 
his baptism, his encroachment at times on the rights of 
the Church at the instigation of the Arians, the execution 
of his noble son, Crispus, owing to the plots of his second 
wife, Fausta, are blots on a life that was otherwise great 
and glorious. 

His son, the Emperor Constantius, was a fanatical 
Arian. 

His nephew, the Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 211 

had been baptized and brought up a Christian, but 
secretly apostatized in his early youth. When he 
became emperor he openly avowed his apostasy and 
began a new persecution of the Church by a method of 
his own, resembling that pursued in France and Italy at 
the present day. 

Note. — When the Donatists appealed to Constantine 
in 313 (a year after his vision), from the verdict of the 
Council of Aries and K.ome, he wrote to their bishops, 
^^ Meum judicium postulant, qui ipse judicium Chris ti 
expecto'' From this it is clear that he considered himself 
Christian at the time, though as yet unbaptized. 

179.— ASCENT TO THE PALATINE, MARTYRDOM OF 
ST. SEBASTIAN. 

The Palatine is the most celebrated of the Roman hills, 
having been the site of the city founded by K^omulus, and 
the seat of empire from the time of Augustus, till the lat- 
ter was transferred by Constantine to Constantinople. 

The ascent is by a road (Via S. Bonaventura) close to 
the arch of Titus. There is little now to recall the 
ancient splendors of the place ; the noble vestibules with 
columns of giallo antico, the spacious courts with tessela- 
ted pavement, the marble colonnades, the imperial palaces 
with walls richly gilt and frescoed, the broad squares 
adorned with statues of gilded bronze, and with fountains 
whose waters descended like sheets of glass into basins of 
white marble, all these have disappeared, leaving nothing 
but ruins and fragmentary traces of artistic work behind. 
These can be examined when we ascend the Palatine hill 
from the Via di S. Teodoro. (See below No. X.) The 
devastation has been the work partly of the wasting hand 
of time, but chiefly of the destroying hand of man. 

The road we are following leads to a part of the Pala- 
tine as yet spared by the pick and axe of the excavator. 
The entrance to the other part is from the Via S. Teodoro 
on the other side of the Forum. 

In a garden on our left as we ascend (where formerly 
was the temple of Apollo, near Domitian's voluptuous 



212 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

gardens of Adonis) is a chapel dedicated to S. Sebastian 
on the site of his martyrdom. (1) Here the young offi- 
cer of the Praetorian guards was, by command of Diocle- 
tian, on discovering that he was a Christian, tied to a tree 
or pillar, while picked Mauritanian archers sent arrovv^ 
after arrow quivering into his flesh. When he seemed to 
be dead the marksmen ** laughing, brawling and jeering, 
without a particle of feeling," left the now drooping 
frame. But '* death came not ; the golden gates remained 
unbarred ; the martyr in heart still reserved for greater 
glory even upon earth, found himself not suddenly trans- 
lated from death to life, but sunk into unconsciousness in 
the lap of angels." {FabiolUy p. 293.) 

His tormentors having cut the cords that bound him, the 
martyr fell exhausted, and to all appearance dead, to the 
ground. 

A pious lady named Irene, the widow of St. Castulus the 
martyr, came to secure the body to give it honorable in- 
terment, but noticing that he still breathed, she took him 
to her home, bound his wounds and waited on him with 
devoted charity in his illness. When he had recovered 
he was advised to fly but refused, and even boldly con- 
fronted the Emperor Diocletian, near a staircase in the 
palace, reproaching him with his cruelties to the Chris- 
tians. The tyrant was at first startled to see a man whom 
he thought to be dead, but recovering from his surprise 
he ordered the saint to be beaten to death with clubs and 
his body to be thrown into the common sewer {cloaca). 
There it was miraculously preserved and a Christian lady 
named Lucina, warned by the martyr in a vision, rescued 
it secretly and buried it in the catacombs, where now 
stands the church of S. Sebastiano. 

180.— CONVENT OF S. BONAVENTURA— SHRINE AND 
ROOM OF ST. LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE. 

A turn of the road brings us to the humble convent of 
Franciscan Friars, called Ritiro di S, Bonaventura, perched 

(1) Martinelli says he was martyred in the stadium or race course 
on the Palatine. (See Gerbet II, p. 447, note.) 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 213 

on the eastern side of the Palatine hill. The galleries or 
rather passages in the convent are low and narrow, the 
cells are small and comfortless, the furniture is of the 
poorest kind ; it is a very home of holy poverty, the very 
antithesis of worldly comfort. In the garden is the finest 
palm tree in Rome, and near it a spring of purest water 
flows into a basin of white marble. The view is superb 
taking in the Forum, the Coliseum and the Coelian hill. 
This poor convent home has been appropriated by the 
government, the religious being allowed to retain a few 
rooms ; the rest have been transformed into workmen's 
dwellings. 

It was here that St. Leonard of Port Maurice entered 
the Franciscan order in 1697, being then twenty-one 
years of age. After his ordination to the priesthood he 
became the apostle of Tuscany. His work in I(ome in 
1730 and 1750 will be referred to when we visit S. Maria 
in Trastevere and S. Agnese in Piazza Navona. 

As was stated above, the Stations in the Coliseum were 
established by this saint, and the first confraternity in 
Rome of the Sacred Heart was begun by him and Father 
Galluzzi, S. J., in the little church of S. Teodoro. 

He died at this Convent of S. Bonaventura in the year 
1751, at the age of seventy-four, and was canonized by 
Pope Pius IX. His body rests under the high altar, and 
many objects that belonged to him are preserved as relics. 
His humble cell, which he loved so much, may be 
visited in the part of the building that has been secular- 
ized. 

Near S. Bonaventura is a large convent of Visitation 
nuns, generally known as Villa Mills, though its proper 
name is Villa Palatina. It was built at the beginning of 
the sixteenth century by the Mattel family, and occupies 
the site of the celebrated portico and garden of Adonis, as 
well as of part of the house of Augustus. The situation 
is charming, commanding extensive views on all sides. 
The former convent of these nuns was the present North 
American College in the Via dell' Umilta. 



214 PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

181. — THE PALATINE HILL — PALACES OF THE EMPERORS. 

The entrance to the western part of the Palatine is near 
the church of S. Teodoro, and to reach this we must go 
round to the capitol end of the Forum and to the ruins of 
the temple of Augustus. 

Lanciani says the Palatine cannot possibly be visited in 
one day ; two days at least are required (with the aid of a 
good map) to become acquainted, in a certain degree, 
with the labyrinth of ruins. 

The Palatine was the primitive city of R.omulus, whose 
house is still pointed out, and here resided its first kings, 
Romulus himself, Numa, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Martins 
and Tarquinius Priscus. 

Towards the end of the Republic it became one of the 
most aristocratic quarters of the city : the leading orators 
and political men had their mansions here, chiefly on the 
western side facing the Forum. Here were the houses or 
rather palaces of the Gracchi, of Fulvius Flaccus, of 
Lutatius Catulus, of Livius Drusius (which before had 
been the house (1) of Crassus the orator), of Cicero, of 
Clodius, the enemy of Cicero, of ^milius Scaurus, pur- 
chased by Clodius for an immense sum, said to be 885,- 
000 pounds. (See Lanciani, R^uins, etc., p. 119.) 

*' All these mansions must have disappeared when Cali- 
gula extended the imperial palace as far as the Via Nova 
and the temple of Castor and Pollux." 

There were also the houses of Hortensius, Catiline and 
Mark Antony on the side of the hill facing the Circus 
Maximus. 

The Emperor Augustus was born on the Palatine, and 
selected it as the imperial residence after the battle of 
Actium, placing here the seat of empire. He was at first 
satisfied with the modest mansion of Hortensius, which he 
purchased, and to which he afterwards added that of 
Catiline. Later on the imperial residence was enlarged by 
him, and enriched with the masterpieces of Greek, Tuscan 



(1) Cicero bought this house in December, B.C. 62, for a sum cor- 
responding to 31,000 pounds sterling. 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 215 

and Roman art. This palace of Augustus was destroyed 
by the fire of Nero, with the exception of the room in 
which the founder of the empire had slept for forty years. 

For information concerning the palace of Tiberius, the 
house of GermanicuSy (1) the palace of Caligula, and the 
golden palace of Nero, the reader is referred to Lanciani's 
"Ruins of Ancient Rome," pages 145, 149, 151, 361. 
Nearly every country of the then known world was made 
to contribute its rich products and works of art to adorn 
these palaces. Greece sent its marbles and statues ; 
Egypt its columns of granite, basalt and porphyry ; Persia 
its silk and embroidered hangings ; India its ivory and 
gems, etc. The courts were crowded with art treasures, 
and the halls were richly gilded and frescoed by the first 
artists of Greece. 

All that accumulation of riches and splendor has been 
long since swept away. The Pagan World, that ** mys- 
tery of iniquity," of which St. Augustine draws such an 
appalling picture in his work De Civitate Dei, for ages had 
here its home and temple where it sat enthroned in all its 
pride, and its sacred groves where it reclined in volup- 
tuous ease. The Palatine was the unhallowed spot that 
witnessed its unblushing depravity and licentiousness, its 
insatiable craving for pleasure and luxury, its greed of 
empire, its cruelty, its disregard of human life, its fierce 
hatred of Christianity, and the unutterable abominations 
of its worship. 

The place needed clearing and purifying, and destruc- 
tion came from the wild hordes of the North. 

In 410 Rome was stormed by Alaric, and though the 
lives of the citizens were spared, the city was sacked for 
three days, when priceless treasures were carried off from 
the Palatine. 

In 455 Genseric, with his Vandals, again pillaged and 
wrought havoc in the city for fifteen whole days. The 
richest trophies and art treasures that Alaric had spared 
became the prize of the conqueror ; everything of value 



(1) Also called the house of Livia. 



216 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

that could be found in the palaces of the emperors and 
senators (1) was seized and stowed away in the vessels on 
the Tiber to be conveyed to Carthage. Among other 
treasures carried off were the golden candlestick, the 
golden table of show bread, the sacred vessels brought 
from the temple of Jerusalem by Vespasian and Titus, 
and all the votive treasures and ornaments, priceless in 
value, of the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus. 

In 546 Totila, with his Goths, came to complete the 
work of destruction ; the people were ordered to evacuate 
the city, and for six weeks R.ome was without a single in- 
habitant. 

In 628 the Emperor Heraclius tried to revive for awhile 
the fallen greatness of the Palatine ; he had himself 
crowned in the palace of the Emperors, the senators lead- 
ing him to the throne of Augustus with great pomp and 
splendor of ceremonial. But the pageantry was soon 
over ; the glories of the Palatine had fled ; the imperial 
eagles had taken their flight and the imperial power rap- 
idly declined. At length the city was abandoned to its 
enemies by the indolent emperors on the Bosphorus, and 
the popes found themselves compelled, by force of cir- 
cumstances and the entreaties of the people, to undertake 
the defence and protection of the city against the Lom- 
bards. (2) 

182.— ST. PETER ON THE PALATINE. 

It was stated above that St. Peter, on his first arrival in 
I(ome (a.d. 42), found hospitality in the house of Aquila 
and Priscilla on the Aventine. He made many converts, 
for St. Paul, when he came to Rome (A.D. 58), found 
there a flourishing Christian community. Some of these 
converts were members of the most distinguished families 



(1) The plates of gold that adorned the walls and ceilings were 
part of the booty. 

(2) On the causes which led to the Temporal Sovereignty of the 
Popes^ a short and clear statement is given by Guggenberger, S.J. 
General History of the Christian Era, vol. I, p. 121, No. 193 seq.: 
Fredet, Modern History ^ p. 511. 




DOMINE, QUO VADIS ? 197. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 217 

in the city, even of the Emperor's household. (Philip, 4, 
22.) Among them were the Senator Pudens and his fam- 
ily, the Consul Flavius Clemens and his family, the noble 
lady, Aurelia Petronilla, the officers, Nereus and Achil- 
leus, and others. Allard {Hist, des Persec.y I, p. 27) 
thinks that Pomponia Groecina was also one of the 
apostle's converts. As many of these must have had 
their mansions on the Palatine, it is not improbable that 
St. Peter visited this part of the city, though tradition is 
silent on the subject. Its splendid buildings on the crest 
of which were rows of statues, shining as it were in mid 
air, its proud palaces and gilded monuments, would hardly 
be noticed by the apostle, who came to preach the blessed- 
ness of poverty and detachment in the capital of the rich- 
est empire the world had ever seen ; to preach contempt 
of riches, pleasures, honors in the very city where ambi- 
tion, voluptuousness, avarice had fixed their throne ; to 
preach the folly of the cross in the very seat of the 
sciences ; to grapple with the colossal monster of pagan- 
ism, though the majesty and power of the R,oman Empire 
were interested and enlisted in its defence ; to cast it down 
and destroy it utterly : it seemed an impossible task to at- 
tempt ; but St. Peter came in the power of God, and in 
that power he prevailed. 

183. — ST. PAUL TRIED BEFORE NERO ON THE PALATINE. 

Among the imperial buildings on the Palatine was one 
reserved for the transaction of public business by the Em- 
peror, and known as the Basilica or ** king's house." It 
served the purpose also of a Law Court. Its form was 
that of an oblong edifice terminating in an apse, and with 
a portico in front. The foundations of this basilica may 
still be seen on the Palatine with fragments of the Em- 
peror's marble throne, and some remains of the richly 
wrought marble cancelli or bar. 

It was in this basilica that St. Paul was tried before 
Nero, A.D. 63, after waiting two years in chains. The 
great Apostle of the Gentiles there stood in fetters before 
one of the vilest monsters that ever disgraced the human 



218 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

race. It was expected that the Emperor would condemn 
him to death, but the time for martyrdom had not yet 
come. After receiving the opinion of his assessors in 
writing, Nero, contrary to his usual custom, discharged 
the prisoner, ordering his fetters to be struck off. This 
acquittal may, perhaps, be traced to the influence of Bur- 
rhus and Seneca, softening to clemency the brutal mind 
of the Emperor. 

184.— OTHER CHRISTIAN MEMORIES ON THE PALATINE. 

In the persecution of Diocletian, A.D. 286, a Christian 
officer of the imperial household, named Castulus, invited 
the Pope, St. Caius, to come and hide in his apartments 
in the Emperor's palace, a place where his presence 
would be least suspected. A miserable apostate, Tibur- 
tius by name, betrayed the secret ; the Pope escaped, but 
Castulus was seized, thrice put on the rack and buried 
alive, dying a glorious martyr. His feast is kept on Jan- 
uary 20. Irene, who was mentioned above as having 
taken St. Sebastian wounded and seemingly dead to her 
home, was the widow of this martyr. 

Marcia, the wife of the Emperor Commodus, was 
favorably disposed towards the Christians and obtained 
for them some measure of relief. She sent for the Pope 
St. Victor I (185-197), and asked him for a list of the 
Christians condemned to work in the mines of Sardinia. 
On receiving this, she prevailed on the Emperor to cancel 
their sentence, and forthwith the priest Hyacinth was dis- 
patched to Sardinia with letters from the Emperor grant- 
ing a full pardon. (Allard, Hist, des Persec, I, p. 456.) 

On the side of the Palatine, facing the Circus Maximus, 
was the Domus Gelotiana, which was purchased by Cali- 
gula and connected by him with the imperial palace. 
After his death it was turned into a training school for 
court pages, under the name of Pcedagogitim. Consider- 
able remains of it may still be seen. It is famous for its 
** graffiti," i.e., inscriptions scratched on the walls. One 
represents a caricature of the Crucifixion of our Lord, dis- 
covered in 1857, and removed to the Kircherian Museum 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 219 

of the Roman College. Among these court pages were 
some Christians, one of whom, Alexamenus, is repre- 
sented in the above caricature. Three boys of the im- 
perial chamber, Peter, Dorotkeus, Gorgonius, highly in 
favor with Diocletian, were Christians. The secret of 
their religion being betrayed to the Emperor, they were 
racked, scourged and suffered other dreadful torments, 
dying glorious martyrs of the faith. Their feasts are 
kept on March 22 and September 9. (See Martyrologium, 
Surius, also Newman's Grammar of Assent, p. 477.) 

In mediaeval times, a Benedictine monastery nestled 
amid the ruins of the Palatine, but all trace of it has dis- 
appeared. (Gerbet, Esquisse de Rome, II, p. 447.) 

185.— THE OLD PAGANISM AND THE NEW. 

As we leave the Palatine with all its historic memories 
stretching back nearly three thousand years and look 
down into the Forum, a wilderness of stones and broken 
monuments, we are involuntarily reminded of the judg- 
ment that overtook the old Roman Empire, where the god 
of this world reigned supreme. It was the largest mani- 
festation of his pov/er that the world had ever seen. 
** All the idolatries, all the polytheisms, all the immorali- 
ties, all the cruelties, all the warfares, all the seditions, all 
the abominations ©f man were summed up in that empire. 
All that man could do without God was there " (Cardinal 
Manning). It was perfect in culture, in literature, in juris- 
prudence, in the elegancies of life, in commerce, in wealth, 
in architecture, in military power ; it was mightier than 
all the empires that had gone before it, and in it all the 
majesty and power and splendor and prosperity and civil- 
ization and wealth and intelligence and energy of will and 
sway over the nations of the world possessed by its prede- 
cessors culminated ; but it was corrupt and without God, 
and its destruction was foretold by Daniel some six hun- 
dred years before the coming of Christ, and again by St. 
John in the Apocalypse, some seventy years after Christ. 
The utter wreck and destruction that we see on the Pala- 
tine and in the Forum are perpetual reminders of the ful- 



220 PILGRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 

filment of those prophecies and of the fate of a nation, 
however great and glorious, that ignores or abjures faith 
in the one true God. 

In our days a power has risen in the world that is anti- 
Christian, irreligious and, in one sense, worse than pagan, 
for it will have no religion. It would restore the old cor- 
rupt paganism by facilitating divorce, by forbidding all 
religious education in the schools, by erecting statues in 
the public squares that would make a decent pagan blush. 
Its creed, if it may be said to have any, is the creed of 
materialism, atheism, hedonism, worldliness and self-wor- 
ship. Its teaching is one of philosophical unbelief, a 
philosophy that tells us that we cannot know God, that 
He is neither a fact nor a phenomenon, that in this age of 
scientific research and discovery, we must believe in noth- 
ing that cannot be touched or weighed or tested by the 
senses. And this denial of God is followed by the deifi- 
cation of humanity, for if there is no higher being than 
man, then man is the highest being in existence. 

This same materialistic, godless teaching is widely pro- 
fessed in the nations of Europe, and its outcome is the re- 
bellion against all law, and the violent hatred and perse- 
cution of the Church that characterize the present age. 

186. — THE PRESENT PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH. 

The persecution of the Church at the present day by 
the masonic sects and governments of Europe manifests 
itself 

(1) In the open declaration of the secret societies that 
their aim is to destroy the Papacy and every form of 
Christian religion. 

(2) In the suppression of rehgious orders and the confis- 
cation of all their houses and property. 

(3) In the insulting, caricaturing, publicly calumniating 
and dishonoring in the press, in the theatres, and upon 
the walls of cities of the sacred person of Christ's Vicar, 
and of the clergy. 

(4) In the persecution of poor, feeble nuns, whose only 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 221 

crime was that they spent their lives in prayer for the 
Pope and the Church. 

(5) In the trammelling and harassing of the religion of 
the people by vexatious and wicked laws. 

(6) In the banishment of the Catechism from the schools, 
and the appointment of professors who teach the young 
to scoff at the clergy and at religion. 

(7) In the honoring of those whose atheism, infidelity 
and hostility to the Church are most pronounced. 

(8) In the appropriation of educational and charitable 
bequests that had been founded and administered by the 
Church for centuries, etc. 

Leo XIII, in his encyclical letter ''Humanum genus," 
issued on April 20, 1884, speaks of the avowed intention 
of the secret societies to paganize the world, to substitute 
the religion of naturalism for that of Jesus Christ. 

'^Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my 
church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." 
(Matt. 16, 18.) 



CHAPTER IX. 

To S. SiSTO AND THE CATACOMBS OF St. CALLIXTUS 
ON THE ApPIAN WAY. 

187. — TO THE CATACOMBS. 

Our present walk is to the Catacombs, to those won- 
derful underground recesses, to which we were introduced 
by Cardinal Wiseman, when we first read his fascinating 
story **Fabiola." Under his guidance we groped our 
way through the dark labyrinthine passages till we 
reached some wider space or crypt chapel, where we 
assisted at the assembHes of the faithful, or we watched 
Diogenes, the excavator, at work with his two sturdy 
sons, and listened to the old man's conversation with Pan- 
cratius about the martyrs he had known and whose tombs 
he had prepared. Long before actually visiting Rome 
we had formed a fairly correct idea what the Catacombs 
are like. 

What delightful impressions, what holy memories are 
recalled by that one word *' Catacombs ! " In these sub- 
terranean cemeteries the infant Church found shelter 
during the stormy centuries of persecution, when the 
tyrants who swayed the destinies of Rome resorted to 
every device of cruelty to stamp out the Christian name. 
In these rude, narrow hiding places a new Rome was 
being formed, a community of Christian heroes and 
saints trained in a novitiate of prayer, privation and the 
cross, while above ground the proud old city, godless 
though filled with false deities, revelled in heathen licen- 
tiousness and was hastening to its doom. These dark 
caverns and dens of the earth were the homes of the 
martyrs and of their children, the homes of living martyrs 
and of departed ones ; of those preparing for the conflict 
222 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 223 

and of those resting after the victory ; of martyrs of the 
Church mihtant and of the Church triumphant. They 
are the hallowed spots where St. Philip Neri, St. Bridget 
of Sweden, St. Charles Borromeo and other great saints 
used to come and spend long hours in prayer. What 
multitudes of holy pilgrims, now rejoicing in the vision 
of God, have passed and repassed along the Appian 
Way from the Arch of Constantine to the cemeteries of 
St. Callixtus and St. Sebastian ! The very stones on 
which we tread seem lustrous in the morning light from 
the touch of so many holy feet. 

Leaving the Arch of Constantine, we follow the road 
in the direction of S. Gregorio, with the Palatine Hill 
and its ruined palaces of the C^sars on our right — pagan 
Rome once so glorious now lying with all its glory in the 
dust. 

In the Acts of St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr, who 
suffered under Marcus Aurelius, A.D. 177 (1), we read 
that she disclosed to her young husband Valerian, still a 
heathen, the secret of her virginity being specially con- 
secrated to God, and being under the direct protection of 
an angel. Valerian expressed a wish to see this angel. 
Cecilia told him that he must first by Faith and the 
waters of Baptism be made a child of God, and that then 
his eyes would be unsealed and he would be permitted to 
behold her heavenly guardian. ''There is an aged 
man," she said, '' hiding in a certain place, who has 
power to cleanse men in the lustral water, and so make 
them worthy to see the angels." 

Valerian inquired: ''Where shall I find this old 
man?" 

Cecilia replied : " Go as far as the third milestone on 
the Appian Way ; there you will find some poor people 
who beg alms of the passers-by. I have always helped 
them, and they possess the secret. When you see them, 
salute them in my name, saying: 'Cecilia has sent me 
to you, that you may lead me to the holy old man 



(1) Allard gives the above date. Alban Butler has A.D. 230. 



224 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Urban (1), for she has charged me with a secret missioa 
to him.' Relate to him what I have told you (about the 
angel), and when he has baptized you he will clothe you 
with a new bright garment, arrayed in which, when you 
enter this room, you will see the holy angel." (See Acta 
See. CcBcilicB in Surius, Nov. 22.) 

Valerian followed the Appian Way as directed, and at 
the third milestone, turning aside from the high road to 
an old sand pit, he found some aged beggars and cripples 
lingering about ; they were the Christian watchers, set 
there to guard the secret entrance to the Catacombs, and 
to give notice of any soldiers, spies, or suspicious persons 
coming that way. Valerian was richly dressed, and his 
haughty bearing betrayed the heathen, but on his giving 
the required salutation and password, they let him into 
the subterranean depths, where he was instructed and 
baptized by St. Urban. 

His vision of the angel on his return to Cecilia will be 
told when we visit St. Cecilia's church. 

It is interesting to think that we are following in the 
footsteps of Valerian, and that our walk will take us to 
the very spot where he found St. Urban, and the grace of 
baptism. 

188.— THE ANCIENT PORTA CAPENA. 

Leaving S. Gregorio on our left, we presently reach 
the site of the famous Porta Capena, where the Appian 
Way really began. This celebrated road that runs from 
Rome south through Capua to Brundusium (Brindisi), 
was begun by the Censor Appius Claudius, B.C. 312, and 
is about 350 miles in length, and from fourteen to eighteen 
feet in width. It is paved with hard stones in irregu- 
lar blocks closely fitted together, and resting on a firm sub- 
structure. It was so well made that a good part still exists 
after the lapse of 2,214 years. 

The site of the ancient city gate Porta Capena is deter- 



(1) Not Pope St. Urban I, but another Bishop Urban, who was 
hiding in the Catacombs. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 225 

mined by a fragment of the ancient walls visible in the 
wine cellar of the Osteria delta Porta Capena. Here is 
thought to have been the spot designated in the Acts of 
the Martyrs as the '' Dripping Arch " (Ad guttam jugiter 
manantemjy so-called from the water of an aqueduct that 
passed over the gate filtering through the masonry. (1) 

By this very gate St. Paul entered Rome a prisoner 
under the charge of Julius, A.D. 61. The neighborhood 
was then populated chiefly by Jews, who lived in squalid 
tenements near the approaches to the Circus Maximus and 
along the classic stream of Egeria. Their number in 
Nero's reign is computed to have been twenty or thirty 
thousand. Then, as now, they attained considerable in- 
fluence by usury, bribery, and other dark methods. But 
the poorer class among them were hucksters, petty trades- 
men, marine store dealers, ragmen, picking up bits of 
glass and old iron along the road and in the dust heaps 
of the city. (2) 

At the Porta Capena Cicero was received in Rome with 
triumph by the Senate and people of Rome upon his return 
from banishment, B.C. SI . Except the fragment above 
mentioned, no vestige of the gate remains. 

189. — S. BALBINA NEAR THE BATHS OF CARACALLA — 
ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA'S LAST ILLNESS. 

A side road near the ruins of the Baths of Caracalla 
leads to the ancient church of S. Balbina, of which men- 
tion is made in a Roman synod held by St. Gregory the 
Great in 594. The interior, destitute of ornament, has a 
cold, neglected look. 

A beautiful urn under the high altar enshrines the re- 
mains of St. Balbina, virgin and martyr, and of her 
father, St. Quirinus, martyr, who suffered in the persecu-- 
tion of Hadrian, A.D. 132. Quirinus held the distinguished 
office of Tribune. Part of St. Balbina's relics are at St. 



(1) The Arch of Drusus is sometimes referred to 2iS ad guttam 
aquce for the same reason. 

[2) Allard. Histoire des Persecutions, vol. I, p. 10. 



226 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Maria in Domnica. These martyrs have already been re- 
ferred to under No. 94. 

The chief objects of interest are, (1) an ancient episco- 
pal throne of marble inlaid with mosaics, that stands in the 
apse behind the high altar ; (2) the marble tomb of Ste- 
fano Sordi (de Surdis), papal chamberlain, by Giovanni 
Cosmati, a.d. 1300; (3) a bas-reUef of the Crucifixion 
brought from old St. Peter's, and said to be the work of 
Mino da Fiesole. 

Adjoining the church is an ugly modern building, used 
as a penitentiary. 

Some time before his death St. Ignatius of Loyola 
bought a vineyard close to S. Balbina, for the purpose of 
giving country air to the novices and scholastics of the 
Society, and to the students of the CoUegio Germanico. 
They came once a week on separate days, and sometimes 
oftener. 

In July, 1556, Rom.e was in a state of panic at the ap- 
proach of the Duke of Alba, the people fearing the city 
would be taken and sacked. St. Ignatius, who was seri- 
ously ill at the time, retired from the din of arms to the 
peaceful solitude of S. Balbina. The summer heats were 
excessive that year, and he became worse. After two or 
three days of fever, feeling that his end was approaching, 
he caused himself to be carried back to his home at S. 
Maria della Strada, where he died on July 31. 

The door of the chapel of S. Balbina, where the saint 
often prayed, is preserved near St. Stanislaus' room atS. 
Andrea in Quirinale. 

Close by are the immense ruins of the Baths of Cara- 
calla, now a wilderness of decay, but formerly a palace of 
luxury, enriched with frescoes, mosaics and priceless 
works of art. Some of the pavements of black and white 
mosaic, with figures of tritons and marine monsters, may 
still be seen. The baths contained above sixteen hundred 
seats of marble, and had extensive club-rooms, libraries, 
dining-rooms, halls for lectures, gymnastics, entertain- 
ments of different kinds and spacious gardens. 



PILGRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 227 

190.— SS. NEREO ED ACHILLEO — TITULUS DE FASCIOLA. 

This interesting little church, just below the Baths of 
Caracalla, dates from the fifth century, and is dedicated 
to the Martyrs SS. Nereus and Achilleus, who suffered at 
Terracina in the persecution of Domitian. They were 
officers in the service of the imperial family, and had been 
converted to the faith by St. Peter himself. Their re- 
mains, together with those of St. Flavia Domitilla, (1) were 
conveyed to Rome and buried in the noble sepulchral 
monument of the Consul Flavins Clemens (St. Flavins 
Clemens), now known as the Catacombs of Domitilla 
(No. 360), where a large basilica, still existing, was erected 
to their honor in the fourth century. In the eighth cen- 
tury the bodies of the two martyrs and of St. Flavia 
Domitilla were translated from the catacombs to this 
church. In the thirteenth century, the church being 
in a ruined and neglected state, they were taken 
to S. Adriano in the Forum. Finally Cardinal Bar- 
onius, of the title of SS. Nereus and Achilleus, having 
restored this their ancient church in 1596, brought them 
back with great solemnity to their former resting place. 
The heads of SS. Nereus and Achilleus were with the 
Pope's leave placed in the new church of the Oratorians 
S. Maria in Vallicella, where they are still venerated. 

For admission to the church apply at the house of the 
custodian. The principal objects of interest are, (1) the 
baldacchino over the high altar, resting on four beautiful 
columns of African marble ; (2) mosaics of the year 795 
on the face of the apse, a remnant of St. Leo Ill's restor- 
ation ; (3) an ancient episcopal throne of marble resting 
on lions with a back in the form of a Gothic gable. On 
this throne Cardinal Baronius caused part of St. Gregory 
the Great's homily on the two saints to be carved, being 
under the impression that it had been delivered in this 
church ; whereas it was in reality spoken in the ancient 
basilica of the Saints at the catacombs of Domitilla ; (4) 
a beautiful marble pulpit, said to have been brought by 



(1) The yoanger. 



228 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Cardinal Baronius from S. Silvestro in Capite ; (5) a large 
marble Paschal candlestick, an exquisite specimen of 
ancient K.oman work. 



The church was formerly known as ' ' Titnlus de Fasci- 
ola,'' ''Church of the Bandage," from a popular story 
that a bandage, with which a wound on St. Peter's foot 
(caused by the prison fetters) had been dressed, here fell 
off as the saint fled from K.ome, just before he met our 
Lord at Domine quo vadis. 

Athanasius Biblioth. says that Felix III (483-492) was 
priest of this church before his elevation to the papacy. 

191. — S. SISTO — CHURCH OF ST. SIXTUS II — THE POPS 
AND HIS ARCHDEACON. 

This ancient and venerable church, so rich in holy 
memories and traditionary history, has a desolate and for- 
lorn look, being now bare of ornament and little fre- 
quented. It bore the ancient name of Titulus Tigridae, 
possibly from the name of some Roman lady on whose 
property it was built. Innocent III restored it in 1200, 
and his successor, Honorius III, gave it to St. Dominic 
in 1217. 

According to an ancient tradition, supported by the 
title of the church, it was at this point of the Appian Way 
that St. Laurence, the young archdeacon and martyr, 
overtook the Pope, St. Sixtus II, and the four deacons, 
SS. Januarius, Magnus, Vincentius and Stephanus, as 
they were being dragged to martyrdom. The affecting 
scene is described by St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. 
Maximus and others. St. Laurence, shedding tears of 
grief at not being allowed to share in their martyrdom, 
fell at the Pope's feet exclaiming: ** Father, where are 
you going without your son ? Whither are you going, O 
holy Priest, without your deacon ? You were never wont 
to offer sacrifice without me your minister. Wherein 
have I displeased you ? Have you found me wanting in 
my duty ? Try me now, and see whether you have made 




CRYPT CHAPEL OF THE POPES. CATACOMBS OF S. CALLISTA. 199. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 229 

choice of an unfit minister for dispensing the Blood of the 
Lord." The holy pontiff replied: *'I do not leave you, 
my son, but a greater trial and a more glorious victory are 
reserved for you, who are in the full vigor of youth. 
We are spared on account of our weakness and old age. 
You will follow me in three days' time." 

Embracing him tenderly, the Pope bade him distribute 
the treasures of the Church among the poor, lest they 
should fall into the hands of the persecutors. This was 
in the persecution of Valerian, A.D. 258. 

192.— ST. DOMINIC AT S. SISTO— ANGELS SERVE THE 
COMMUNITY AT TABLE. 

The Convent of S. Sisto, given with the church to St. 
Dominic by Honorius III in 1217, was the very home of 
holy poverty. The brethren were often in want of the 
barest necessaries of life. (1) One day when there was 
no food of any kind in the house, the saint bade the 
brothers call the community to the refectory at the usual 
dinner hour. They replied : *' But, holy father, there is 
nothing to give them to eat." Dominic repeated the 
command, and at a given signal all the community en- 
tered the refectory. Grace was said, and every one being 
seated, Brother Henry began to read. The rehgious 
looked for a while in surprise at the empty plates and cups, 
and then at Dominic, who was praying, his hands being 
joined together on the table. Suddenly two angels ap- 
peared in the midst of the refectory carrying loaves on 
two white cloths, which hung from their shoulders. They 
began to distribute the bread, beginning at the lower ends 
of the tables, one at the right hand and the other at 
the left, placing before each brother one whole loaf of 
white, exquisite bread. When they were come to Dom- 
inic they placed in like manner an entire loaf before him, 
then bowed their heads and disappeared. The saint 
then said to his brethren: '' My brethren, eat the bread 

(1) See n. 233. Two Dominicans of S. Sisto give their only loaf to 
an angel. 



230 PILGRIM-Vv^ALKS IN ROME. 

which the Lord has sent you." And he bade the servers 
pour out the wine. The large vessels, empty before, 
were found filled to the brim with excellent wine, which 
lasted three days. Then in a beautiful exhortation the 
saint warned his brethren never to mistrust the Divine 
goodness, even in time of greatest want. (Life of the 
Saint by Miss Drane). 

This event forms the subject of a beautiful fresco by 
Sogliani in the convent of S. Marco, Florence. 

193. — MIRACLES OF ST. DOMINIC AT S. SISTO. 

The monastery being in a dilapidated state, it was nec- 
essary to restore it. One of the masons employed, whilst 
excavating under part of the building, was buried by a 
mass of falling earth. The brethren ran to the spot too 
late to save him. Dominic commanded them to dig him 
out, whilst he knelt in prayer. They did so, and when 
the earth was removed the man arose alive and unhurt. 

At S. Sisto Dominic raised to life the dead child of a 
Roman widow, named Tuta de' Buvaleschi, by making 
the sign of the cross over him and taking him by the hand. 
This miracle caused great excitement. Pope Honorius 
III heard of it, and ordered it to be announced from the 
pulpits of the city, in spite of the saint's protests. 

Here, also, the saint raised to life a young man named 
Napoleon Orsini, who had been thrown from his horse 
and killed. The dead body, bruised and horribly man- 
gled, was carried into the chapter house, where Dominic 
and the Cardinals Nicola Ugolini and Stefano Orsini (the 
latter being the uncle of the dead man) were assembled to 
install the nuns of Trastevere at S. Sisto, the Dominican 
friars having recently left for S. Sabina. Mass was first 
said, then the saint, in presence of the cardinals and nuns, 
prostrated himself on the ground weeping and praying. 
Thrice he touched the face and limbs of the deceased ; 
then extending his hands towards heaven, he cried with a 
loud voice : " Young man, in the Name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, I say unto thee, arise !" Immediately, in the sight 
of all, the young man arose alive and unhurt. (Life of 
the Saint). 



PII,GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 231 

In the chapter house are some modern frescoes repre- 
senting these miraculous events. 

194.— THE NUNS OF TRASTEVERE INSTALLED AT S. SISTO. 

When Honorius III presented to the saint the church 
and monastery of S. Sabina on the Aventine, S. Sisto 
being vacated by the friars was occupied by a community 
of nuns from S. Maria in Trastevere, under the foUov/ing 
circumstances. 

These religious women, nearly all of noble birth, were 
living in the convent at Trastevere without enclosure and 
greatly relaxed in fervor. The Pope had tried to bring 
them to regular observance, but failed, owing to the op- 
position of their families, which were among the most in- 
fluential in K.ome. At length he committed the task to 
Dominic and Cardinal Ugolino, Bishop of Ostia. 

The saint gave several exhortations to the nuns, and 
tried to induce those who wished to live as true religious 
to come and form a nev/ community in the convent of S. 
Sisto, which he and his friars had lately vacated. But 
his words produced little impression ; the nuns could not 
be persuaded to leave their home in Trastevere ; their 
friends, too, in the city encouraged them to resist the pro- 
posal of the Spanish friar. St. Dominic, however, perse- 
vered, and won over the abbess and nearly the whole of 
the community to the Pope's wishes. There was, how- 
ever, a condition imposed and accepted. In the Church 
of Trastevere was kept a celebrated picture of our Lady, 
greatly venerated by the Romans from ancient times. 
Sergius III had caused it to be placed in the Lateran 
basilica, but in the middle of the night it found its way 
back to the old church from which it had been taken. 

The nuns now proposed that in going to S. Sisto they 
must be allowed to carry their picture with them, and 
should it come back to Trastevere of itself, as in the days 
of Pope Sergius, they should be held free to come back 
after it. 

St. Dominic accepted the condition. At midnight on 
February 27-28, 1217, (Ash Wednesday) the picture v/as 



232 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

carried from Trastevere to S. Sisto, accompanied by Car- 
dinals Nicola Ugolini, Stefano Orsini and many other per- 
sons, all barefoot and carrying torches. The nuns were 
waiting for it with great marks of respect. It did not re- 
turn to Trastevere, and its quiet domestication in the new 
house completed the settlement of the nuns. (1) It was 
after an exhortation to these nuns that St. Dominic was 
led to S. Sabina by an angel, (n. 239.) 

As the population receded from the neighborhood of 
S. Sisto, the district became malarious, and in the six- 
teenth century (about 1570), St. Pius V transferred the nuns 
to the new convent of SS. Domenico e Sisto, near Piazza 
Magnanapoli. They brought with them the picture of 
our Lady, and the principal relics and ornaments of their 
old church, (n. 73.) 

195.— S. CESAREO— ST. JOHN AT THE LATIN GATE. 

Near S. Sisto and SS. Nereo ed Achilleo is the interest- 
ing mediaeval church of S. Cesareo, dedicated to St. 
Caesarius, deacon and martyr, who suffered under Diocle- 
tian in A.D. 300, being tied up in a sack together with a 
priest named Julius, and flung into the sea. (Alban 
Butler, Nov. 1.) Their bodies being cast on the shore 
were rescued by the Christians. 

The relics of St. Caesarius have been at Santa Croce for 
several centuries. Clement VIII rebuilt this church be- 
fore his elevation to the Papacy, about A.D. 1560, and, 
later on, created his nephew, Silvestro Aldobrandini, 
still a boy, Cardinal of S. Cesareo. The high altar is 
richly inlaid with mosaics. The delicate mediaeval carving 
in front of the altar, where the body of the saint once 
lay, is much admired. An ancient episcopal throne, inlaid 
with mosaics, stands in the centre of the apse. The side 
altars have beautiful columns of black and white marble. 
The pulpit, an interesting specimen of mediaeval work, 
rests on twisted columns inlaid with mosaics, the capitals 
being decorated with heads of animals. 



1) Drane. Li/e of St. Dominic, c. 14. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 233 

Two Popes were here elected, viz. : St. Sergius I, in 
688, and Eugenius III, the friend of St. Bernard and 
abbot of Tre Fontane, in 1145. 

Opposite S. Cesareo a pleasant lane branches off to the 
left of the high road towards the church of St. John at the 
Latin Gate, which was built by Adrian I in 772, restored 
by Celestine III in 1191, and again by Cardinal K.asponi 
in 1686. J^ound the entrance door are some Cosimati 
mosaics of the thirteenth century. The interior is poor, 
having probably been plundered of its monuments and 
treasures at some period. (1798 ?) 

Near the closed Latin Gate is an octagonal chapel, sup- 
posed to be on the very spot where St. John the Evange- 
list was immersed in a cauldron of boiling oil during the 
persecution of Domitian. The holy Apostle, sole sur- 
vivor of the Twelve, was probably first scourged, accord- 
ing to the Roman custom, with those who could not plead 
the privilege of K.oman citizenship. As he came forth 
from the seething oil unhurt, a miracle which the pagans 
attributed to magic, he was banished to the island of 
Patmos in the vEgean Sea. 

Tertullian, De Proescripty c. 36, and St. Jerome, in 
Math. c. 20, mention this miracle. The cauldron that is 
shown is of doubtful authenticity. 

196. — PORTA DI SAN SEBASTIANO— ARCH OF DRUSUS. 

The Porta San Sebastiano (the ancient Porta Appia of 
Aurelian) was rebuilt by the Emperor Honorius with the 
spoils of the Temple of Mars, that stood close by on the 
slope outside the gate. It has two fine semicircular 
towers of the Aurelian Wall, resting on a basement of 
marble blocks. The pilgrim from Einsiedeln, who visited 
Rome in the ninth century, speaks of fourteen city gates 
and three hundred and eighty-three wall towers as exist- 
ing at that date. 

The Arch of Drusus, which stands near the gate, was 
erected by the Senate in the year 8 before Christ to 
commemorate the victories of Drusus Germanicus, step- 
son of Augustus, over the Germans. It is built of traver- 



234 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

tine with a marble cornice, and has two columns of Afri- 
can marble on either side. The arch once supported an 
equestrian statue of Drusus, two trophies, and a seated 
female figure representing Germany. It was utilized later 
as one of the supports of the aqueduct conveying water 
to the baths of Caracalla. The arch has a special interest 
from the fact that St. Paul must have passed under it 
when led prisoner to K.ome in A.D. 61. The place is 
quiet enough now, but the approach to the busy metrop- 
olis was then a confused scene of horsemen and foot- 
passengers, soldiers and laborers in various costumes and 
on various errands, who would hardly notice the poor 
stranger that was being led in chains by a military escort. 

Merivale, speaking of this arch, says that it is, with the 
exception of the Pantheon, the most perfect existing 
monument of Augustan architecture. It is heavy, plain, 
and narrow, with all the dignified but stern simplicity 
which belongs to the character of its age. 

Just outside the gate {ad clivum Martis) stood the cele- 
brated temple of Mars, before which multitudes of Chris- 
tian martyrs were dragged on their way to execution, to 
tempt them at the last moment to apostatize. It was 
vowed in the Gallic war, dedicated in B.C. 387, and was 
one of the most splendid edifices in Rome. Not a vestige 
of it now remains. It seems to have been destroyed by 
Honorius, and its marbles used to build the bastions of the 
gate. Near this temple St. Zeno and several thousand 
companions are said to have been martyred in the perse- 
cution of Diocletian, A.D. 305. 

From the city gate the road descends into the valley of 
the Almo, where antiquaries formerly placed the Porta 
Capena. 

197. — THE CHAPEL DOMINE, QUO VADIS ? 

About half a mile further on is the chapel of Domine 
quo vadis, built on the spot where our Saviour appeared 
to St. Peter as he fled from Rome along the Appian Way. 

St. Ambrose (Serm. 68) tells us that when the persecu- 
tion of Nero broke out (A.D. 65), the Christian converts, 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 235 

alarmed for St. Peter's safety, besought him not to expose 
his life at the very time when his guidance was most 
needed by the afflicted Church, but to withdraw from 
Rome for a while till the storm abated. The apostle un- 
willingly yielded to their importunity and made his escape 
by night. As he fled along the Appian Way, about two 
miles from the Porta Capena, he was startled by a vision 
of his Divine Master, who was walking towards the city. 
'' Lord," he said, ** whither goest thou ? " {Domine, quo 
vadis ?) Christ, casting on him a look of tenderness and 
sadness, replied: ** I go to Rome to be crucified anew," 
and vanished. St. Peter, seeing in these words a reproof 
for his flight and want of courage, at once turned back to 
the city, where he was soon arrested and cast into prison. 
The chapel '* Domine quo vadis " marks the traditional 
spot where St. Peter met our Lord. The impression of 
the Divine Feet left on one of the stones of the Appiaa 
Way may be seen in the church of St. Sebastian. In the 
interior is a plaster copy of Michael Angelo's statue of 
our risen Saviour, viz., the one that is near the sanctuary 
of S. Maria sopra Minerva. 

Near the chapel the Via Ardeatina branches off on the 
right, leading to the catacombs of Domitilla. We keep to 
the main road, the Via Appia, and after a few minutes' 
walk reach a tiny round chapel on our left, standing at the 
head of a lane that leads to the Valle Caffarelle and to the 
temple of Deo Redicolo. This little sanctuary, which is 
left in a pitifully neglected state, was built or restored by 
the English Cardinal Pole in honor of the many martyrs 
who suffered near this spot. 

198.— THE CATACOMBS OF ST. CALLIXTUS ON THE 

APPIAN WAY. 

About a mile and a quarter from the Porta San Sebas- 
tiano, we reach the entrance to a vineyard, shaded with 
cypresses, and bearing the inscription "" Le Catacombe di 
San Callisto." The ruins immediately inside the entrance 
are a remnant of the sepulchral monument of the noble 
family Caecilii. Entering the vigna, we are met near a 



236 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

low building by two or three Trappist monks, who have 
charge of these catacombs and act as guides. A fee of 
one lira (franc) is paid by each visitor, who receives a wax 
taper and is warned that it is forbidden under pain of ex- 
communication to take any earth, sand, or fragment of 
stone from the catacombs. 

A i^yN preliminary remarks may be here inserted. 

{a) The sanctity of tombs was guaranteed by Roman 
law to all creeds ahke. Whether the deceased had been 
pious or impious, a worshipper of Roman or foreign gods, 
his place of sepulture was considered by law a locus re- 
ligiosus, as inviolable as a temple. In this respect there 
was no distinction between Christians, pagans and Jews ; 
all enjoyed the same privileges and were subject to the 
same rules. (1) 

{b) From Apostolic times to the persecution of Domi- 
tian, the faithful were buried, separately or collectively, 
\w private tombs, {v. g., on the estates of Lucina, Priscilla, 
etc.) which did not have the character of a church institu- 
tion. They enjoyed all the immunity of private property. 

The Christian cemeteries of the first century were built 
publicly, in defiance of public opinion. The cemetery of 
the Christian members of Domitian's family, viz.: Flavius 
Clemens, Flavia Domitilla, Plautilla, Petronilla and others, 
has a public entrance hewn out of a perpendicular cliff, 
conspicuous from the high road, (the Via delle Sette Ckiese. 
See Northcote, I^oma Sotterr., p. 7L) The crypt is ap- 
proached through a vestibule, which is richly decorated 
with terra cotta carvings and with frescoes on the ceiling. 

{c) The underground catacombs began in times of per- 
secution after the first century. They were called after 
the names of the persons on whose properties they were, 
V. g., catacombs of Domitilla, Cyriaca, Priscilla, Praetex- 
tatus, etc. Catacombs could not be excavated every- 
where; the presence of veins or beds of soft volcanic 
stone or granular tufa was a necessary condition of their 
existence. 

(1) Lanciani. Pagan and Christian R^ome. pp. 306, 307. North- 
cote. Roma Sotterranea. ch. 3, p. 45. 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROMK. 237 

(d) The aggregate length of the galleries of the cata- 
combs hitherto discovered is said to be 866 kilometres, 
/. e., 587 geographical miles. These galleries are on dif- 
ferent levels, reaching down to three, four and even five 
rows, and are ventilated by air-shafts. The upper gal- 
leries and chapels have here and there luminaria, or fun- 
nel-shaped apertures for light ; the rest are perfectly 
dark. They are like the narrow shafts of a mine shooting 
out horizontally, so narrow and low, that you can easily 
touch both walls and ceiling with your hands as you walk 
along. The sides have loculi or berth-like recesses, where 
the bodies of the dead were placed, each in its own locu- 
lus, shut in by marble slabs or jointed tiles. 

(e) In the case of a martyr a cup or glass phial, con- 
taining some of the blood he had shed for the faith, was 
placed near his head, and on the slab enclosing the re- 
mains was sculptured the outline of a palm branch. 
Sometimes sponges, or sediment tinged with their blood, 
are found in the graves of martyrs, as also the very in- 
struments of their torture. 

(/) St. Callixtus, Pope and Martyr (218-223), while still 
Deacon of Pope St. Zephyrinus, was appointed superin- 
tendent of the works at this cemetery, which he en- 
larged and beautified and which preserves his name, 
though he was not himself buried here. He suffered mar- 
tyrdom (as will be explained under n. 271) near S. Maria 
in Trastevere and was buried in the cemetery of Calepo- 
dius, whence his body was translated to S. Maria in 
Trastevere in 824. 

{g) The works begun by St. Callixtus in the persecution 
of Septimius Severus (204-212) to mask the entrances of 
the catacombs by connecting them with old disused sand- 
pits, themselves underground, were continued in the per- 
secution of Valerian (257-260), when not only were the 
approaches more perfectly concealed, but former stairs 
were removed, galleries blocked and barriers erected at 
every turn. To one who was not in the secret, even if he 
succeeded with the help of a torch in finding the entrance 
through the underground sand pits, it became a hopeless 



238 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 



task to proceed beyond a short distance, for he was foiled 
and balked at every turn by bUnd corridors that seemed to 
lead nowhere ; moreover, he would not know the secret 
sign or number of raps to be given, on hearing which, 
those within would open a concealed door from above and 
let down a ladder to admit him, or roll back a stone dis- 
closing a secret stair to the gallery below. 

(h) That the Christians from the beginning visited out 
of devotion the tombs of the martyrs, we know from St. 
Jerome, St. Paulinus and Prudentius ; we know also that 
in times of persecution they concealed themselves in the 
catacombs and here assisted at the celebration of the 
Divine Mysteries. An edict was passed forbidding these 
assemblies, (1) but the Christians succeeded in baffling 
the vigilance of the government. Popes St. Stephen I 
and St. Sixtus II both said mass in the crypt-chapels and 
were there beheaded. (2) 

199.— THE CATACOMBS OF ST. CALLIXTUS (continued). 

(/) The Oratory of St. Sixtus. De Rossi's Discovery. 

Following our Trappist guide, we first visit a small 
brick building (above ground) with three apses, which was 
identified by De Rossi as the ancient Ceila Memoriae of 
St. Sixtus, built by St. Fabian in the third century. It 
contains inscriptions and reliefs from the catacombs, plans 
of the parts hitherto discovered, and copies of the most 
important mural paintings. The entrance to the cata- 
combs is near this building. 

In 1849 De K.ossi chanced to find in the cellar of a 
vineyard near this building a fragment of a monumental 
stone having on it the upper part of the letter R, followed 
by the complete letters NELIUS . MARTYR. He con- 



(1) Northcote. I^oma Sotterr., p. 87. 

(2) On the Christians being hunted in their assemblies in the 
catacombs, see Allard, Histoire des Persecutions^ p. 85. 

On the interesting subject how the Christian community, availing 
itself of the law sanctioning funeral clubs, came to own the ceme- 
teries or catacombs, see Allard, Ibid. vol. II., p. 10 seq. p. 485 seq.; 
Northcote, Ibid. pp. 49-53. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 239 

eluded at once that it belonged to the grave of St. Cor- 
nelius, Pope and Martyr, and, having induced Pope Pius 
IX to purchase the vineyard, set to work diligently with 
his excavations. It was not long before he came upon 
the other half of the same slab, lying at the foot of the 
grave to which it evidently belonged. He could now read 
plainly — 

CORNELIUS • MARTYR. 
EP. 

This was enough to convince him that he had hit upon 
the cemetery of St. Callixtus, for he knew from his an- 
cient guides that the tomb of St. Cornelius, though not 
actually within its precincts, was hard by. Further im- 
portant discoveries followed, till the whole cemetery of 
St. Callixtus, with its crypt-chapels of the Popes and of 
St. Cecilia gradually yielded its secrets to the young 
archaeologist. 

(2) — Descent to the Catacombs. 

The descent is by a steep flight of steps constructed 
probably after the time of Constantine, when the faithful 
of the fourth and fifth centuries used to come in crowds to 
visit these subterranean chapels and venerate the tombs 
of the martyrs. St. Jerome, (in. c. 40 Ezech.) writing in 
the fourth century, says: ''While I was pursuing my 
studies at Rome as a youth, I was accustomed frequently 
on Sundays, in company with others of the same age and 
disposition, to visit the tombs of the Apostles and Mar- 
tyrs, and frequently entered the vaults which are dug 
deep down in the earth, and have the bodies of the dead 
ranged along the walls on either side as you enter. Every- 
thing there is so dark, that the saying of the prophet seems 
almost verified: ' Let them go down alive into Hades.' 
Here and there a scanty light admitted by a hole from 
above moderates the horror of the darkness ; and as you 
advance step by step, and are immersed in the blackness 
of night, you are reminded of the words of the poet, ' The 
very silence fills the soul with dread.' " 



240 PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME 

St. Paulinus and Prudentius also speak of the catacombs 
as being devoutly visited by the early Christians. St. 
Paulinus (Poem. 27 in Nat.) says, that the tombs of the 
martyrs here contained could not be numbered. Pruden- 
tius on the catacombs, see Northcote, R^oma Sotterr., pp. 
98, 99. 

Preceded by our Trappist guide we leave the bright 
light of day and plunge down into the Egyptian darkness 
of a subterranean world. Lighting our tapers, we grope 
along the narrow passages, peopled on either side by the 
dead, lying on sepulchral shelves. The covers of some 
of the tombs have been removed, revealing only dust and 
occasionally fragments of bones ; others are shut in by 
marble slabs or jointed tiles. The bodies of martyrs, 
wherever discovered, have been translated elsewhere. It 
is hard to realize that crowds of Christians in days of per- 
secution were forced to take refuge in these dark recesses 
and kept there, packed in a mine, with its crypts and 
cemeteries, for weeks and weeks together. It was a liv- 
ing tomb, solaced, however, by the voice of prayer and 
praise and by the daily celebration of the Divine Mysteries. 

*' A catacomb," says Cardinal Wiseman, Fabiola, Part 
II, c. 2, '* may be divided into three parts, its passages or 
streets, its chambers or squares and its churches. The 
passages are long, narrow galleries, cut with tolerable 
regularity, often so narrow as scarcely to allow two per- 
sons to go abreast. They sometimes run quite straight 
to a considerable length ; but they are crossed by others, 
and these again by others, so as to form a complete laby- 
rinth or network of subterranean corridors. To be lost 
among them would easily be fatal. 

**The walls of these galleries, as well as the sides of 
the staircases leading to lower depths, are honeycombed 
with graves, large and small, of sufficient length to admit 
a human body laid with its side to the gallery. Some- 
times there are three or four of these rows, one above the 
other, sometimes many more." 

Further particulars will be found in Cardinal Wiseman,. 
Ibid. c. 2 and c. 3.; also in Northcote 's R^oma Sotterranea, 




TOMB OF ST. COKNELIUS. 199. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 241 

Our guide points out to us the graffiti, or scribblings on 
the walls left by pious pilgrims in the fifth, sixth and sev- 
enth centuries, and important as showing that we are ap- 
proaching a place of more than ordinary sanctity. 

(3) — Tke Papal Crypt or Tomb Chapel of the Popes. 

Presently we reach a chamber of considerable dimen- 
sions containing the tombs of the Popes. The walls are 
lined with graves of the earliest Popes, many of them 
martyrs, viz.: St. Soterus (168-176), St. Zephyrinus 
(200-218), St. Pontianus, who died in exile in Sardinia, 
(230-235), St. Anterus, martyr, (235-236), St. Fabian, 
martyr, (236-250), St. Lucius, martyr, (253-254), St. 
Stephen I, martyred in the catacombs of St. Sebastian 
under Valerian (254-257), St. Sixtus II, martyred in the 
catacombs of Praetextatus (257-258), St. Dionysius 
(259-269), St. Eutychianus, martyr, (275-283), and St. 
Caius (283-296). Of these, the gravestones of SS. An- 
terus, Fabian, Lucius and Eutychianus have been discov- 
ered, with inscriptions in Greek. Though no inscriptions 
have been found of the other Popes mentioned, they are 
known to have been buried here from the earliest authori- 
ties. 

Over the site of the altar is one of the beautifully cut 
inscriptions of Pope St. Damasus (366-384), referring to 
the bodies of the saints that here lie buried, and conclud- 
ing with the touching words : 

** Here I, Damasus, wished to have laid my limbs. 
But feared to disturb the ashes of the Saints." 

He was buried in the chapel near the entrance, whence 
his body was translated to the church of S. Lorenzo in 
Damaso. 

{4-) — The Crypt of St, Cecilia. 

From the chapel of the Popes a narrow passage leads 
to the tomb-chapel of St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr, the 
story of whose martyrdom (A.D. 177) is related elsewhere, 
(n. 260.) Her body was carried to the catacombs of St. 
Callixtus and there, hard by the vault where the Vicars of 



242 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Jesus Christ slept in peace, rested in a coffin made of 
cypress wood. After many centuries, Pope Paschal I 
(817-824), who translated into the different churches of 
Rome the relics of so many martyrs, wished also to re- 
move those of St. CeciHa, but was unable to find them 
amidst the ruins which blocked up the whole place, and 
so was compelled to desist from his design. Four years 
afterwards he had a dream in which St. Cecilia appeared 
to him and told him where to find her body near the vault, 
whence he had removed the relics of the Popes. Accord- 
ingly, he renewed the search and found the body in the 
place specified, ''fresh and perfect as when it was first 
laid in the tomb and clad in rich garments interwoven 
with gold, with linen cloths stained with blood rolled up 
at her feet, lying in a cypress coffin." It is he himself 
who gives us this account. He adds that he covered the 
body with silk, spread over it a covering of silk gauze, 
laid it in a white sarcophagus and placed it beneath the 
altar of the church of St. Cecilia in Trastevere. (See 
Northcote, I^oma Soiterr., p. 151, seq.) 

Close to the entrance of the chamber will be observed 
upon the wall a painting of St. Cecilia richly attired. 
Under it is a niche for a lamp, at the back of which is a 
head of our Saviour. To the right of the niche is a figure 
of St. Urban, friend of St. Cecilia, who here buried her 
remains in the arcosolium, or altar tomb (1) near the above 
paintings. Higher up are the figures of three saints, Poly- 
camus, Sebastian and Curinus. The chamber is lit by a 
luminare or light-shaft. 

(5) — Tomb Chamber of St. Eusebius, Pope and Martyr (310). 
Tomb of St. Cornelius, Pope and Martyr {253). 

The tomb chamber of St. Eusebius has one of the 
beautiful inscriptions of Pope St. Damasus, referring to 
the Pope's exile and death. At the top and bottom of the 
tablet is the title : 

Damasus Episc opus fecit Eusebio Episcopo et Marty ri. 

(1) The tomb is now empty. An altar is placed here and Mass 
said on St. Cecilia's feast, Nov. 22. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 243 

The tomb of Pope St. Cornelius (251-253) is in the area 
of St. Lucina, which was begun in Apostolic times, (a.d. 
58), probably by Pomponia Graecina, (1) the wife of 
Plautus, the conqueror of Britain. It is connected with 
the cemetery of St. Callixtus by a labyrinth of galleries. 
The tomb has no chapel of its own, but is a mere grave 
in a gallery, with a rectangular instead of a semicircular 
space above (arcosolium) as in the chambers. On the wall, 
right of the tomb, are painted two figures of Bishops in 
sacerdotal garments, with inscriptions declaring them to 
be St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian of Carthage, who are 
thus associated because they suffered on the same day of 
the month (Sept. 14) though not in the same year. Two 
similar portraits are on a narrow wall projecting at a right 
angle from the tomb, but the name only of one can be de- 
ciphered, that of St. Sixtus. These figures seem to be 
Byzantine work of the seventh century. At the right 
hand of the tomb stands a truncated column about three 
feet high, concave at the top, intended for a lamp that in 
early ages burnt constantly before the martyr's remains. 
St. Gregory the Great has in his list of oils sent to the 
Lombard Queen Theodelinda as relics, ''Oleum Si. Cor- 
nelii," the oil from St. Cornelius' tomb. A reason as- 
signed why St. Cornelius was buried here, and not in the 
crypt of the Popes, is that he belonged to the noble fam- 
ily of the Cornelii, who probably owned this part of the 
catacombs {Area Sae Lucinae), or had their graves here. 
(See Northcote, Ibid., p. 177.) 

{&) — Mural Paintings in the Catacombs. 

In the chambers known as *' Sacrament Chapels," and 
in other parts of the catacombs, the walls are adorned 
with frescoes representing biblical, liturgical and symboli- 
cal subjects. One of the most frequent of these repre- 
sentations is that of the Good Shepherd, generally painted 
on the central space of the arched ceiling, subjects of 



(1) St. Lucina was probably the Pomponia Graecina of A.D. 58. 
See Northcote, p. 124. 



244 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

minor interest being introduced around it in compart- 
ments. Accurate chromo-lithographs of these frescoes 
will be found in De Rossi's great work, R^oma Sotterranea, 
vol. II, a few of which are reproduced in Dr. Northcote's 
work bearing the same title. 

Among the biblical subjects are, (1) the Fall of Adam 
and Eve ; (2) Noah in the ark ; (3) Sacrifice of Isaac ; 
(4) Moses receiving the law ; (5) Moses striking water 
from the rock ; (6) the Three Children in the fiery fur- 
nace ; (7) Daniel in the lions' den ; (8) Jonas swallowed 
up by a whale ; (9) Jonas disgorged by the whale ; 
(10) the Nativity of our Saviour; (11) the Epiphany; 
(12) the multiplication of the loaves and fishes ; (13) the 
Raising of Lazarus, etc. 

The Sacraments are represented as follows : 

Baptism, under the figure of Moses or St. Peter striking 
the rock. 

Penance, by the paralytic carrying his bed. 

Holy Eucharist, by a tripod, or sacrificial table, on 
which are placed bread and a fish, and at one side a priest 
with hands imposed in the act of declaring that what 
seemed bread was in truth the Icktkus, i. e., ''Jesus 
Christ, Son of God, the Saviour." 

Holy Communion, or the Eucharist banquet, and the 
agape are also depicted. Another symbol (1) of the 
Blessed Sacrament is that of a live fish rearing its head 
above the water, carrying on its back a basket of bread 
and a flask of wine, but they are only sacramental ap- 
pearances ; underneath them is the reality, viz., the living 
Body and Blood of the Ichthus, i. c, of "Jesus Christ, 
Son of God, the Saviour." 

For fuller information see Northcote, p. 202, seq. 



(1) The reason 'why symbolical representation was so frequently 
used was probably the disciplina arcani^ i. <?., the law requiring 
Christians to conceal from unbelievers the greater mysteries of 
faith, lest they should be an occasion of desecration and blasphemy. 
They desired to convey instruction and to excite devotion among 
themselves, and at the same time to protect the truths of faith from 
malicious interpretation. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 245 

There are also representations of our Divine Lord, His 
Blessed Mother, and the Saints. 

i!])— Inscriptions in the Catacombs. 

This is a subject that might fill a volume ; we can only 
touch on it very briefly. 

Cardinal Wiseman observes that the word to bury is un- 
known in Christian inscriptions. ** Deposited in peace," 
*'the deposition of N. N.," are the expressions used ; that 
is, the dead are left there but for a time till called for 
again, as a pledge or precious thing intrusted to faithful 
but temporary keeping. The word ** cemetery " suggests 
only a place where many lie, as in a dormitory, slumber- 
ing for a while, till dawn come, and the trumpet's sound 
awake them. The grave is called ** the place," locus y or 
more technically, ** the small home," loculus, of the dead 
in Christ. 

A few examples are here given of inscriptions on the 
loculi or tombs : *' Live in the Lord and pray for us " : — 
'' Live in peace and pray for us ": — ** Sabbatius, sweet 
soul, pray and entreat for thy brethren and comrades ' ' 
'' Atticus, thy spirit is in bliss, pray for thy parents " 
''Jovianus, may you live in God, and pray for us" 
** Anatolinus, may thy spirit rest well in God, and do 
thou pray for thy sister": — *'Pray for us, because we 
know that thou art in Christ." — These are chiefly inscrip- 
tions on the tombs of martyrs. 

The belief in Purgatory appears in countless inscrip- 
tions : thus : ** Sweetest, dearest Antonia, may God re- 
fresh thee in peace ": — ** May thy spirit, Victoria, be re- 
freshed in the good God": — ** May thy soul, Victorinus, 
live in refreshment ": — " May God, Christ the Almighty, 
refresh thy spirit": — ** Eternal light shine upon thee, 
Timothea, in Christ," etc. (See De Rossi, 1. c.) 

The epitaphs on pagan tombs of the same period con- 
tain expressions of overpowering grief, or of despairing, 
eternal farewell. ** In oeternum vale." 



246 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROMK. 

200.— THE CATACOMBS OF PR^TEXTATUS. 

Leaving the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, we follow the 
Appian Way in the direction of the church of St. Sebas- 
tian, which is about half a mile further on. In the vine- 
yard on the left of the road are the Catacombs of Prae- 
textatus, not open to visitors. They are approachd by a 
secret entrance some distance from the road. Long, nar- 
row galleries lined with tufa, and occasionally with brick 
work, their sides pierced with loculi or tomb cavities, and 
covered with inscriptions, lead to a large crypt or chapel 
(discovered in 1857) built with solid masonry and lined 
with marble. The vault is elaborately painted with bands 
of roses, corn sheaves, vine-leaves and grapes, represent- 
ing the four seasons; also laurel leaves denoting victory. 
Birds sport among the leaves and flowers. At the back 
of the chancel arch is a rural scene of which the central 
figure is the Good Shepherd bearing a sheep on His 
shoulders. A sketch of this painting will be found in 
Northcote's I^oma Sotterranea, p. 79. 

MARTYRDOM OF ST. SIXTUS II. 

On August 6, 258, Pope St. Sixtus II celebrated the 
Divine Mysteries in this crypt chapel, surrounded by his 
deacons, in presence of a considerable number of the 
faithful. After the Holy Sacrifice he was addressing an 
exhortation to the assembled Christians, when suddenly 
the pagan persecutors, led probably by some traitor or 
apostate, burst into the room, arrested the Pope with his 
six deacons, and, according to St. Cyprian, a priest named 
Quartus, and dispersed the assembly. The prisoners 
were dragged before the City Prefect and at once con- 
demned, then led back to the catacombs to be there exe- 
cuted. As mentioned above, St. Laurence overtook them 
at S. Sisto. 

The holy Pope was beheaded in the very crypt where 
he had offered the Holy Sacrifice, and four deacons suf- 
fered with him, viz.: SS. Januarius, Magnus, Vincentius 
and Stephanus. Two others, SS. Felicissimus and Agap- 
itus won their crown on the same day, but in another 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 247 

place. The priest Quartus probably met his death with 
the Pope. The bodies of St. Sixtus and the four deacons 
were afterwards buried by the Christians in the Catacombs 
of St. Callixtus; those of the other two deacons were laid 
in the Catacombs of Praetextatus, where an inscription 
with their names was found by De Rossi. 

Thousands of holy martyrs have lain buried for centu- 
ries on either side of the Via Appia. We feel we are 
treading on holy ground. Cardinal Baronius (Annal. A. 
D. 1115, n. 4), says that it was the custom of the faithful 
in the twelfth century to visit the catacombs barefoot, a 
custom even then accounted ancient. 

201. — BASILICA OF ST. SEBASTIAN. 

St. Sebastian is full of interest and has been a place of 
pilgrimage since the third century. It was venerated 
long before St. Sebastian's martyrdom (a. d. 288), be- 
cause of its having been the temporary resting place of 
the bodies of SS. Peter and Paul, which were hidden in a 
dry well where now is the chapel known as Platonia, be- 
hind the apse of the present church. The basilica was 
first erected in the fourth century in honor of the Apos- 
tles, "basilica Apostolorum," and had for its ''confes- 
sion," not the tomb of St. Sebastian, but the Platonia. 
Its form was the usual one, a nave with side aisles and 
terminating in an apse. After several restorations in me- 
diaeval times, it was finally reduced to its present form in 
the seventeenth century by Cardinal Borghese, nephew 
of Paul V. 

St. Sebastian's martyrdom, which occurred on the 
Palatine in the year 288, has been related above. The 
pious lady Lucina having rescued his remains from 
the public drain, into which they had been cast, buried 
them " apud vestigia Apostolorum," i. e., in the vault on 
the Appian Way where the bodies of the two apostles 
had lain. In the seventeenth century Cardinal Borghese 
removed the remains from the crypt below to the present 
chapel, which is right over the original tomb. 

The portico of the basilica has six granite columns, 



248 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

four being of the very rare color known as verdagnolo. 
There are some frescoes by Antonio Caracci, greatly in- 
jured by exposure. The interior consists of a nave and 
apse, with several side chapels. 

In the first chapel on the left is the tomb of St. Sebastian^ 
with a recumbent figure of the saint beautifully chiselled 
in marble, that makes us realize how terrible his death 
must have been. 

The first chapel on the opposite side has a treasury of 
remarkable relics, one being a stone with the impression 
of our Saviour's Feet, taken from the spot on the Appian 
Way where He met St. Peter flying from Rome (n. 197). 
There is some uncertainty as to the authenticity of this 
relic. 

The high altar has four columns of verde anticOy and be- 
neath is the shrine of St. Stephen, Pope and Martyr, slain 
in the catacomb in 257. The church also possesses the 
bodies of SS. Eutychius and Eusebius, martyrs. 

202. — THE PLATONIA AT ST. SEBASTIANO. 

Temporary resting place of the bodies of SS. Peter and 
Paul. The story of the temporary removal of the bodies 
of the two great apostles from their respective tombs on 
the Vatican and on the Ostian Way is as follows : 

Shortly after their martyrdom some Oriental Christians, 
desirous of possessing the holy bodies, came and stole 
them both, and were setting out on their return to the 
East, when the Romans intercepted them and recovered 
their treasure. These facts are attested by St. Da- 
masus (1) and St. Gregory the Great. (2) The relics were 
deposited for a time in a deserted building on the Appian 
Way, at the second milestone. Here St. Damasus after- 
wards built a Platonia or Placonia (a subterranean chapel, 
lined with plates of marble) ad catacumbas. From this 
spot, with its title of debased Latinity (Kata tumbas), all 
the Roman cemeteries were in course of time named 
catacombs. (3) 



(1) In a metric inscription. 

(2) Epistle to the Empress Constantina. No. 30 of book IV. 

(3) F. Anderdon, S. J. " Evenings with the Saints y^"* p. 326. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 249 

A year and seven months afterwards the body of St. 
Peter, at least, was restored to its original resting place on 
the Vatican. 

In A. D. 218, during the pontificate of St. Callixtus and 
the reign of Heliogabalus, the body of St. Peter was re- 
moved again to the platonia ad catacumbaSy to avoid dese- 
cration in consequence of the extension of Nero's circus, 
which was made to encroach further on the Vatican hill. 

In A. D. 258, St. Sixtus II transported St. Peter's body, 
and most probably a portion of that of St. Paul, back to 
the Vatican, where they have ever since remained. 

The descent to the platonia is by a stair at the back of 
the present church. The altar in the centre with two 
tomb cavities beneath it, is the spot where the bodies of 
the Apostles are said to have been hidden. Round the 
chamber or crypt-chapel are twelve arcosolia (semicircular 
cavities with tombs) originally decorated with frescoes of 
the fourth and fifth centuries, but it is not known who 
were buried there. 

The acts of Pope St. Stephen's martyrdom relate that 
he was beheaded by the pursuivants whilst he was sitting 
in his pontifical chair in the catacombs during the perse, 
cution of Valerian. (1) The remains of the chair may 
be seen near the altar. 

203.— ST. PHILIP NERI AND ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN 
AT S. SEBASTIANO. 

The catacomb of St. Sebastian (then thought to be that 
of St. Callixtus) was a favorite place where St. Philip 
Neri used to come to pass the night in prayer. Occasion- 
ally he stayed three whole days and nights underground 
without food. On one occasion, when he was twenty-nine 
years old, he was preparing for the feast of Pentecost with 
extraordinary fervor in this catacomb, when suddenly a lu- 
minous sphere, like a globe of light, entered into his breast. 
He felt, as it were, on fire and fell on the ground. Recov- 
ering after a while he arose with a strange palpitation of 

(1) Alban Butler, Aug. 2. Tillemont, vol. IL Baronius, Annal- 
ad. annum, 257. 



250 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the heart and a tumor on his left side just over his heart- 
After his death the large tumor was found to be caused 
by the opening of two of his ribs as if to allow more room 
for the beating of his heart. Ever afterwards he felt this 
palpitation when saying Mass, or giving absolution or 
Holy Communion, or when speaking on spiritual sub- 
jects. (1) 

St. Bridget of Sweden came to S. Sebastiano with her 
daughter, St. Catherine, and in one of her relations she 
was told by our Blessed Lord, that while the bodies of the 
two Apostles lay in the catacombs at the bottom of the 
well, (2) they were honored and guarded by angels. (3) 
She was present when Urban V removed the heads of the 
two Apostles from the Sancta Sanctorum (where they had 
been hidden during the Saracen invasion of the ninth cen- 
tury) to the Lateran Basilica, (n. 45.) 

THE ANCIENT VIA APPIA. 

If there is time, it is worth while walking on past the 
large circular tomb of Cecilia Metella for a mile or so, as 
far as Casale Rotondo, to see the charming scenery from 
the Via Appia. We are here treading on the very stones 
that must have touched the feet of St. Paul, when he was 
led prisoner to IRome. The natural features of the coun- 
try were the same then as at the present day, the long 
stretch of the Campagna enclosed by the Sabine and 
Alban hills with Mount Soracte in the distance. But the 
Via Appia, now so desolate, fringed with fragments of the 
monuments of the pagan dead, then passed amid gardens, 
noble tombs and villa residences, and the view of the city, 
which the Apostle first caught sight of on the Appian Way, 
near Albano, was very different from what it is now. 
Augustus had transformed it from a city of brick into a 
city of marble ; and its confused mass of temples, ar- 
cades, porticos, public buildings shone white in the morn- 
ing light, while in the centre towered the temple of Jupi- 
ter Capitolinus, with its gilded roof flashing in the sun. 

(1) Mrs. Hope. Life of St. Philip. 

(2) The bodies were hidden in an old disused well. 

(3) Life by J, M. Partridge, p. 206. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 251 

Near S. Sebastiano, on the Via de lie Sette Chiese, lead- 
ing to St. Paul's, is the Catacomb of St. Domitillay which 
is described elsewhere. 

204.— ST. TARCISIUS, THE MARTYR OF THE BLESSED 
SACRAMENT. 

On our return to the city we again pass the entrance to 
the cemetery of St. Callixtus, and think of the holy asso- 
ciations of that venerable spot. Had we passed it on a 
day of the year 257, we might have seen a young boy of 
thirteen, '' with a countenance beautiful in its lovely inno- 
cence as an angel's, with a gravity beyond the usual ex- 
pression of his years stamped upon his countenance," 
step forth from a by-path on to the main road, look care- 
fully round to see if he is unobserved, and then walk 
briskly in the direction of the city. He is clasping some- 
thing tightly to his breast and concealing it within the 
folds of his tunic. It is Tarcisius the acolyte, who is at- 
tached to the clergy of the cemetery of St. Callixtus, (1) 
and whose privilege it is, by special favor of the Pope, 
to carry the Blessed Sacrament carefully wrapped in a 
linen cloth, and in an outer covering of silk, to the Chris- 
tians in the city, and to the martyrs in prison. (2) 

One day he met a band of ruffians and soldiers on the 
Via Appia, who may have been acting as spies on the 
movements of the Christians. From the boy's modesty 
and gravity they saw at once that he was a Christian, and 
observed that he was carrying something, possibly a let- 
ter, in his bosom. They tried to snatch at the sacred de- 
posit in his breast, but he had the strength and courage 
to resist them ; they cast him on the ground and tried to 
unclasp his arms, but these folded rigid as steel over the 
divine treasure. Cuffs, pulls, blows, kicks had no effect, 
** he would not betray to ravening dogs the Body of his 
Lord." In their brutal violence, attempting to tear open 



(1) Allard. Hist, des Persec. vol. iii, p. 73. Cardl. Wiseman. 
Fabiola, ch. 22. 

(2) This was the office of the Deacons, but they were known to 
the persecutors and would have been at once arrested. 



252 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the thrice holy trust, the child was so severely bruised 
that he died on the spot, but a supernatural power pro- 
tected the Blessed Sacrament from profanation. Tarcis- 
ius' body was found by the Christians, who carried it all 
bleeding to the catacombs, the Sacred Host being still 
locked in his arms. This child martyr of the Blesssd 
Sacrament was buried in the papal crypt near Pope St. 
Zephyrinus, where later an inscription to his memory was 
placed by Pope St. Damasus. His body is now venerated 
in the church of S. Silvestro in Capite. 




POKTA PIA. 215. 



CHAPTER X. 

From the Quirinal to Porta Pia, and S. Agnese 
Outside the Walls. 

205.— PIAZZA del quirinale. 

The Piazza del Quirinale, or large square at the west 
end of the Quirinal palace, is an attractive spot, because 
of its elevated position, its palatial buildings, its gardens 
and its ancient obelisk. There is a delightful fountain too, 
whose waters leaping high into the air and dancing per- 
petually to their own music have a refreshing sound as the 
countless rills descend in cadence from the brimming basin 
to the pool below. The place is quiet enough now, and 
there is little to remind one of the stormy scenes that here 
disgraced Rome in the struggle of the Revolution against 
the Papacy. The Italian soldiers who stand guard at 
the palace entrance, and the flag of united Italy that floats 
from the belfry remind us that the Pope no longer resides 
here. Above the entrance is a beautiful statue of our 
Lady and the Divine Child, and, lower down, reclining 
over the arched doorway, are the figures of SS. Peter and 
Paul. To the right of the palace, as we face it from the 
square, is the Via del Quirinale^ which runs into the well- 
known Via venti Settembre, and at its entrance is a public 
garden, to make which two churches and two convents 
were destroyed in 1888. The large building on our right 
is the Palazza della Consulta. 

The associations of the place are sad : we can only 
recall one or two. 

The opening of the nineteenth century saw Napoleon I 
prosecuting his remarkable career of victories, dismem- 
bering empires, creating principalities and kingdoms, and 
making peace or war at his pleasure. In his pride he put 
forth his hand against the Holy See, which he had perse- 

253 



254 PIIvGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

cuted with savage malignity under Pope Pius VI. By a 
decree of April 2, 1808, he incorporated the Pontifical 
States with the French Empire, and declared them to be 
irrevocably united to the Kingdom of Italy, the vassal of 
France. An armed force entered the Quirinal palace to 
take possession in the Emperor's name : the Papal guards 
were disarmed, and the Holy Father (1) found himself a 
prisoner in his own house. Against this outrageous un- 
provoked attack on the rights and property of the Church, 
he protested strongly ; and, after considerable delay, pub- 
lished a Bull excommunicating all concerned in this meas- 
ure, without naming any one in particular. 

On the night of July 4, 1809, the French General Radet 
entered the Papal apartments with a peremptory demand, 
in the emperor's name, that the Pope should renounce at 
once all temporal sovereignty of K.ome and of the Eccle- 
siastical States : in the event of a refusal he had orders to 
seize his person and drag him into exile. The Pope, fear- 
less at this fresh display of Napoleon's violence, answered 
with firmness and dignity: **We cannot, we ought not, 
we will not yield or renounce that which is not ours. The 
temporal power belongs to the Church ; we are only its 
administrator. The emperor may cut us to pieces, but 
he will never obtain this renunciation from us." 

The word of command was given, the Pope was seized 
and carried off to France, with apparently no other pros- 
pect than that he should die in exile like his predecessor. 
The pathetic story may be read in Cardinal Pacca's Mem- 
oirs. Napoleon triumphed for a while, the Holy See 
lay crushed beneath his power ; but God was already pre- 
paring the restoration of the Pope, and the downfall of 
his oppressor. 

'* Napoleon ; 

A stone by Satan hurled with thunder-shock. 

Crumbling the mightiest fabrics of the past ; 

Heaping the earth with ruin ; but at last 
Broken itself by falling on the Rock." — {Barraud.) 



(\) Pius VII. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 255 

During the Revolution of 1848, when Mazzini, Gari- 
baldi, and a host of desperadoes of the same stamp, were 
warring against the Papacy, a rabble-rout of Carbonari and 
of the vilest ruffians of K,ome was led by Sterbini Canino 
(i. e.y Prince Charles Bonaparte), Galletti and others to the 
Quirinal to wrest from Pope Pius IX the abdication of the 
Temporal Power into the hands of the people. The 
palace was besieged by the insurgents, fire was set to the 
great doors, and shots were aimed at the windows of the 
Papal apartments. Charles Bonaparte, who acted like a 
fury on this occasion, had the largest gun in R,ome dragged 
up from the Piazza della Pillotta and planted in the centre 
of the piazza, ordering the men to be ready to blow down 
the palace gates, which the Swiss guards had bolted and 
were defending. Monsignor Palma, the Pope's Latin sec- 
retary, standing near an open window was shot dead. 
Pope Pius IX made his escape from the palace in dis- 
guise, and, by a sort of miracle, succeeded in reaching 
Gaeta. (See Balan, Storia della Chiesa, vol. 1, pp. 507, 
513, seq.) The enemies of the Church once more had 
Rome in their power, but their triumph was short-lived. 

Lastly the Quirinal palace was seized and appropriated 
as a royal residence by the troops of Victor Emmanuel in 
October 1871. 

206. — THE QUIRINAL PALACE. 

This is one of the three Apostolic Palaces in Rome, the 
other two being the Vatican and the Lateran. Till 1846 
it was used for Papal conclaves, and was a favorite sum- 
mer residence of the Popes. 

Victor Emmanuel came to reside here in October, 1871, 
and selected as his own the apartments that had been used 
by the Popes. Here, seven years later, he met his end. 
During a state ball at the Quirinal on the night of January 
9, 1878, the king, oppressed by the close atmosphere, 
drew near an open window and lit a cigar. Suddenly he 
fell to the ground and was carried away unconscious. It 
is beHeved that he died that same night. The parish 
priest of the church of SS. Vincent and Anastasius came 



256 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

at once to administer the last sacraments, but was told the 
king could not be disturbed. Pope Pius IX, though so 
cruelly treated by Victor Emmanuel, sent his own con- 
fessor, Monsignor Marinelli, to carry a message of for- 
giveness to the unhappy monarch, but neither was he ad- 
mitted, for the good reason that he would probably have 
only found a corpse. On the assurance of the court 
chaplain, Mgr. Anzino, that the king had died in Christian 
sentiments (an impression possibly gathered from some 
sign or gesture of the dying monarch), the Pope allowed 
the body to buried with Catholic service in the Pantheon. 
What really happened at the last moments of the king is 
unknown, and perhaps never will be known. (See Balan, 
Storia della Chiesa, vol. iii, pp. 902-907.) On the death 
of Mgr. Anzino, the court chaplain, in 1896, the door of 
his private room was at once sealed, and all his papers 
were carried off by the government, as though it feared 
the disclosure of some secret. 

Victor Emmanuel, while actually setting out for Rome 
in his campaign against the Church, wrote a letter to 
Pius IX on September 8, 1870, professing himself a most 
obedient, dutiful and devoted son of the Church, at the 
same time inviting His Holiness to abdicate his temporal 
power, retain only his spiritual sovereignty, ** glorious 
and free from all human control." (Balan, Ibid, ii, p. 
1008.) The Pope's reply was brief and decisive. " His 
majesty's letter," he said, ** was unworthy of a son of the 
Church and a Catholic." He repudiated with indignation 
the king's proposal, at the same time blessing God, who 
thus permitted the closing years of his life to be filled 
with so much sorrow and bitterness. (Balan, Ibid, ii, p. 
1010.) The Pope could never bring himself to believe 
that Rome would fall into the hands of the revolution, 
and up to the last moment he counted on some Divine 
intervention to save the city. The daily prayer of all 
good Catholics is that God would protect the Holy Father 
and give him life, and deliver him not up to the will of his 
enemies. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 257 

207.— THE DESTROYED CHURCHES AND CONVENTS OF 
ST. MARY MAGDALEN AND ST. CLARE. 

Under the windows of the Quirinal palace and at the 
entrance of the Via del Quirinale is a public garden with 
an equestrian statue of Carlo Alberto, father of Victor 
Emmanuel. This garden occupies the site of two ancient 
churches and convents, which were destroyed by the gov- 
ernment in 1886. 

The first of these churches, vS. Maria Maddalena, was 
at the angle formed by the streets Quirinale and Consulta, 
and belonged to the Sacramentine, or Nuns of the Perpet- 
ual Adoration. The church, small but devotional, was 
much frequented by the pious I^omans, who found here 
the Blessed Sacrament perpetually exposed, with the sis- 
ters watching before it. The low chant of the nuns' 
voices, as they sang Office, could be heard in the street, 
and served as an invitation to passers-by to enter, if only 
for a few moments, and join in the loving homage there 
offered to our Eucharistic God. 

That little church is now no more. The nuns lived for 
some fourteen years in a house at the head of the steps 
leading down to the Forum of Trojan. They are now at 
S. Lucia in Selce, Via Cavour. 

The convent of St. Clare (Sa. Chiara) was founded for 
Capuchin nuns by the Duchess of Tagliacozzo; who be- 
queathed to them her own house and garden in 1574, but 
the church was much older. Church and convent were 
levelled to the ground in 1886, the nuns being allowed by 
the Canonesses of the Lateran to share their home at Sa. 
Pudenziana. 

In front of the church was an atrium, or cloistered 
court, with an interesting fountain in the centre, having 
an ancient marble sarcophagus for its basin. Inside the 
church were some ancient frescoes of St. Benedict and St. 
Scholastica. Not a vestige now remains of the religious 
home, where the spouses of Christ lived and sanctified 
themselves for centuries. 



258 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. " 

208.— S. ANDREA IN QUIRINALE, THE JESUIT NOVICE- 
SHIP TILL 1872— ROOM OF ST. STANISLAUS KOSTKA. 

The Noviceship of S. Andrea was founded by St. Fran- 
cis Borgia, third General of the Society of Jesus (1565- 
1572}, and was the religious home of St. Stanislaus 
Kostka, St. Aloysius, Blessed Rodolf Acquaviva, Blessed 
Antony Baldinucci, Blessed Thomas Cottam, Venerable 
Cardinal Bellarmine, Venerable Henry Garnet, Father 
Claude Acquaviva, the two Fathers Segneri and a 
host of other saintly and distinguished members of 
the Society of Jesus. It was appropriated by the Ital- 
ian government in 1872, and converted into a residence 
for the officials of the Royal Household. The Jesuit nov- 
ices, driven from their home, wandered to various places, 
to Brixen in Tyrol, to Tramin in Tyrol, to Les Alleux in 
France, to Naples and finally to Castel Gandolfo. 

The house was considerably altered to adapt it for its 
present secular purpose, and during the alterations (in 
1888), one of the most venerable and exquisite sanctuaries 
in Rome, the room where the angelic St. Stanislaus Kostka 
breathed forth his pure soul to God, was recklessly de- 
stroyed. The materials, however, were preserved and 
put together again in a part of the building near the 
church, every pains being taken to reproduce an exact 
copy of the original room. It may be visited on applica- 
tion to the sacristan. 

In the centre of the room is a recumbent figure of the 
dying saint, a masterpiece by Le Gros, the face, hands 
and feet of white marble, the habit of black, the couch of 
yellow Siennese marble. It was formerly studded with 
jewels and surrounded by a balustrade of solid silver ; but 
these were carried off by the French at the close of the 
eighteenth century. 

The fountain, where the saint used to cool his inflamed 
breast after Holy Communion, was at the back of the gar- 
den, and is now at the end of a street in a ruined state. 

The beautiful church of the Novices, 5. Andrea in 
Quirinaky was built by Prince Camillo Pamfili, nephew of 



PILGRIM-WAI^KS IN ROME. 259 

Pope Innocent X, from the designs of Bernini, between 
the years 1650 and 1670. It is said that Bernini considered 
it one of his best works. It has a Corinthian facade and a 
projecting semi-circular portico with Ionic columns. The 
interior is oval in form and exceedingly rich, being almost 
entirely lined with red marble streaked with white Sicilian 
jasper, and divided by white marble pillars supporting a 
gilt cupola. It is an ideal church for novices, small but 
perfect in form, '* with a gem-like beauty and an innocent 
look, as though it were the abode of angelic spirits, a 
flight of whom in pure white marble is wreathed round 
the oval dome." (Nath. Hawthorne). 

The chapel on the left of the high altar contains the 
shrine of St. Stanislaus, rich in marbles, bronzes, lapis 
lazuli, and paintings from the hand of Carlo Marratta. 

The present Rector is a secular priest. 

209.— ANCIENT MANSIONS ON THE ALTA SEMITA, 
NEAR S. ANDREA. 

The large garden near the Church of S. Andrea, with a 
railing separating it from the street, belonged to the 
Jesuit novitiate. In it St. Stanislaus and St. Aloysius 
must have often walked. Here stood the house of Pom- 
ponius AtticuSy the friend of Cicero, discovered in 1558 in 
such perfect condition that the family documents and 
deeds, inscribed on bronze, were still hanging on the walls 
of the Tablinum. (Lanciani, ''Christian and Pagan 
Rome," p. 191). 

The garden has on its east side the Belgian College, 
near which is the little church of S. Carlo, alle Quattro 
Fontane, belonging to the Spanish Trinitarians. From a 
window of this college (then a convent), the revolutionists 
of 1848 fired shots into the Pope's apartments in the 
Quirinal, one of which killed Monsignor Palma, as stated 
above. This was the site of the house of the Flavii, be- 
longing to Flavins Sabinus, brother of Vespasian, and 
father of St. Flavins Clemens and St. Plantilla. The fam- 
ily mansion was converted by Domitian into a Mausoleum, 



260 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

where were buried Vespasian, Titus, Flavius Sabinus, 
Julia, daughter of Titus, and ultimately Domitian him- 
self. 

At the Quattro Fontane begins the Via Venti Settembre, 
the Alta Semita of ancient times, known as the Via Porta 
P^^ till 1870. The ugly name F^;^^/vS^//^;;^<^r^ (September 
20) recalls the sacrilegious invasion of Rome on that day 
in 1870. 

Where the huge War Office nov/ stands, was the mansion 
of the Valerii in the days of the Empire. Here Valerius 
Martial, the epigrammatist, lived as a guest v/ith his 
wealthy relative, G. Valerius Vegetus, consul in A. D. 91. 
The palace, judging by explorations made in 1641, 1776, 
1884, was built and decorated on a grand scale. 

Close by are the Palazzo Barberini and the Scotch col- 
lege, both in the Via Quattro Fontane, which will be re- 
ferred to later. 

210.— THE CHURCHES AND CONVENTS OF THE INCAR- 
NATION, ST. TERESA, ST. CAIUS DESTROYED TO 
MAKE ROOM FOR THE PRESENT WAR OFFICE. 

The huge war office was built in the years 1878 to 1882 
on the site of three venerable churches and convents, 
which had stood here for centuries. They were : 

(1) The churches and convents of the Incarnation and of 
St. Teresa. 

Balan {Storia delta Chiesa, lib. xiv, p. 848) says that 
the government '' Giunta liquidatrice," or Commission for 
the disposal of ecclesiastical property, presented them- 
selves in 1876 at the doors of these two convents, de- 
manded the keys of the churches and sacristies and the 
surrender of all the sacred vessels, chasubles, copes, etc., 
claiming everything in the name of the State. The Car- 
melite nuns forced to leave their convent, succeeded in 
finding a home in the old monastic buildings of S. Stefano 
Rotondo, belonging to the German College. The marble 
altars were sold, some being bought by Prince Torlonia, 
who gave one to the English nuns for their church of St. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 261 

George in Via S. Sebastiano. The others are said to be 
in the new church of the Sacred Heart near the Station. 

(2) Church and convent of S. Cains. 

This ancient church, which was originally the house of 
St. Caius, Pope and Martyr (283-296), stood opposite the 
beautiful Barberini gardens, now concealed by modern 
houses. Its great treasure was the shrine of the martyred 
Pope, and so venerable was it, that from the earliest times 
a Lenten station had been attached to it. Respect at least 
for antiquity should have stayed the hand of the de- 
stroyer ; but in spite of the protests of Pope Pius IX, and 
of the Cardinal Vicar, the time-honored buildings were 
razed t© the ground, and the nuns had to beg shelter else- 
where. The body of St. Caius was transferred to the 
church of St. Susanna. 

211. — PROTESTANT PROPAGANDISM IN ROME. 

Close to the war office, separated from it by a side 
street, will be noticed the new college and conventicle of 
the American Episcopalian Methodists, a body which has 
also a normal school for girls in the Via Veneto. There 
are at present some dozen Protestant churches and more 
schools (of different sects) in K.ome, each a centre of ac- 
tivity for the spread of heretical doctrine, chiefly among 
the poor. 

'* For many years past {i. e., since 1870) some so-called 
missionaries of the Protestant religion have taken up resi- 
dence in K,ome, and, supported by English and American 
money, have set themselves to the work of proselytism in 
the Holy City. Their plan of campaign has been to get 
control of the unprotected children of the poorer classes, 
by means of the money at their disposal, and once having 
them in their power, they try to bring them up Protes- 
tants and to fill them with hatred and dislike of the Church 
of their fathers." (Correspondent in the Tablet.) 

The unworthy methods of *' Souperism," or bribery, 
followed by these Protestant societies, have been recently 
exposed in letters to the Tablet and Spectator, June, July, 



202 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

1902.(1) One correspondent says: *' Rich proselytizing 
societies in K.ome are taking advantage of the present un- 
fortunate condition of the lowest class of the population, 
due to the absorption by the State of the ancient means of 
relieving poverty and other causes, to induce as many as 
they can, by means of temporal relief, to allow their chil- 
dren to be trained as Protestants. Anyone who has been 
in Rome, and has taken the trouble to inspect the build- 
ings where these children are trained, and inquire into the 
methods of these societies, will find that these allegations 
are absolutely correct." 

These Protestant societies have their churches, meeting 
rooms, gospel halls, dispensaries of food and medicines, 
recreation grounds for the young, Bible stores, etc., and 
are doing incalculable harm. Against their disreputable 
methods to corrupt the ancient faith the Holy Father 
raised his voice in protest at an audience given to the 
English pilgrims in December, 1900. A Catholic Rescue 
Society for the preservation of the faith has been started 
and is doing good work, but with means sadly inadequate. 

212. — CHURCHES OF S. SUSANNA AND S. BERNARDO. 

The Church of S. Susanna, on our left as we advance 
through the Piazza S. Bernardo in the direction of 
Porta Pia, is interesting as having been originally the 
house of St. Gabinus, brother of the martyred Pope St. 
Caius, mentioned above. The foundations of this house, 
which extend under the street, show that it must have 
been a noble building. Here dwelt Gabinus with his 
daughter Susanna, belonging to the highest aristocracy of 
Rome. Here both were martyred because Susanna re- 
fused to break her vow of virginity by a marriage with a 
pagan prince. (2) 



(1) Some terrible disclosures on the methods of proselytism of the 
Methodists are given in the Tablet, July 19, 1902, pp. 93, 94. 

(2) Maximianus Galerus, the adopted son of Diocletian. Allard, 
vol. iv., says the Acts of S. Susanna are legendary, though confirmed 
in many details by recent discoveries. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 263 

The bodies of the three martyrs, SS. Caius, Gabinus 
and Susanna rest under the high altar. The church has a 
noble facade and the interior is adorned with frescoes. 
The convent buildings, the home of Cistercian nuns, to- 
gether with the extensive grounds, have been seized and 
converted into barracks for the King's Guard. The nuns 
are allowed to occupy a corner of their old home near the 
church, which they will probably soon have to leave. In- 
deed, the place is no longer suitable for them ; they have 
scarcely room to turn, are disturbed in their religious ex- 
ercises by the songs, shouts and bugle calls of the sol- 
diers, and their tiny cortile and garden are overlooked 
from the barracks windows. 

At the opposite side of the piazza is the interesting 
church of S. Bernardo^ a rotunda in form, and originally 
part of the famous baths of Diocletian. It was converted 
into a church in 1598 by Catherine de Nobili Sforza, 
countess of Santa Flora, who founded here a monastery 
for Cistercian monks. The monastery was seized in 1872, 
used as barracks for many years, then pulled down and 
the ground sold in 1901. Two modern hotels now cover 
the spot. A few rooms near the church have been spared 
for the use of the religious. The great religious artist, 
Frederick Overbeck, is buried in this church. There are 
some interesting tombs, one being of young Cardinal 
Robert de Nobili, who died in 1559, at the age of eighteen. 
He had bound himself to enter the Society of Jesus, but 
was not permitted to leave the Papal Court ; so he regu- 
lated his life at court most exactly by the rules of the So- 
ciety, put himself under the direction of Father General, 
and completed his short life by an illness borne with 
heroic patience. 

213. — CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA DELLA VITTORIA. 

On the east side of the Piazza S. Bernardo is the Foun- 
tain of Acqua Felice, so called from Sixtus V's name as 
a Franciscan friar Fra Felice. The design is ugly and 
the statue of Moses, by Prospero Bresciano, contemptible. 
Near it, on the opposite side of the street, is the beautiful 



284 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

church of our Lady of Victory, Santa Maria delta Vittoria, 
belonging to the Discalced Carmehte Friars. It is inter- 
esting from its association with Venerable Maria Anna 
Taigi (d. 1857), who came here regularly to confession 
for nearly thirty years. The church was built by Paul V 
in 1605 on the site of an old chapel of St. Paul the 
Apostle and dedicated at first to that apostle, but after- 
wards to our ** Lady of Victory " in memory of the great 
victory of Maximilian of Bavaria at the battle of Prague, 
A.D. 1620, when 25,000 Catholic troops routed 100,000 
Protestants. The interior is rich in marbles, sculptures, 
bronzes and gilt stucco-work. The high altar, formerly 
richly adorned by the emperors of Austria, and possess- 
ing the famous picture of our Lady of Victory, carried by 
Venerable Father Domenico, Carmelite, at the battle of 
Prague (Nov. 8, 1620), perished with the picture in a dis- 
astrous fire on June 29, 1833. The present altar, a gift 
of Prince Alexander Torlonia, has a copy of the destroyed 
picture, taken many years before the fire. 

Among the religious memories of the church may be 
mentioned the following : 

Clement XI, in the name of the Empress Elizabeth of 
Austria, here placed one of the standards captured from 
the Turks at Temeswar. (1662.) 

Philip V of Spain presented a standard taken from the 
Moors at Ceuta. (1415.) 

Other flags taken from the Turks were presented to the 
church by the King of Poland and Maria Teresa of 
Austria. 

The Knights of Malta here placed a large imperial 
standard captured on the Sultan's galley. 

These standards may be seen in the sacristy. 

Many Popes had a special devotion to this sanctuary. 
Pius VI, in his heavy troubles, caused by the tyrannical 
exactions of Napoleon I, came here to seek help and 
comfort. 

214.— THE TREASURY, MINISTERO DELLE FINANZE. 

On the right, as we approach Porta Pia, are the huge 
and hideous buildings of the new Ministero delle Finanze, 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 265 

the walls of which are constantly cracking and have to be 
shored up for repairs. Marion Crawford says of this 
edifice: '' The treasury of the poorest of the Powers, in- 
credible as it may seem, fills a far greater area than either 
the Coliseum or St. Peter's. The Roman curses it for 
the millions it has cost; the stranger looks, smiles, and 
passes by the blank and hideous building, 300 yards 
long." (1) 

In laying the foundations for this building, those of the 
original Porta Collina were discovered, from which the 
main road to the Sabines issued, and which was attacked 
by the Gauls in 360 B.C., by Sulla 88 B.C., and by the 
Samnites 82 B.C. Near this was also the Campus Scele- 
ratus, where the Vestal virgins, who were found guilty of 
unchastity, were buried alive. Here the head Vestal Cor- 
nelia, on a false charge trumped up by Domitian, suffered 
this terrible penalty. " Far up by Porta Pia, over against 
the new Treasury, under a modern street, lie the bones of 
guilty Vestals, buried living, each a little vault two fath- 
oms deep, with the small dish and crust and the earthen 
lamp that soon flickered out in the close damp air ; and 
there lies Cornelia, that innocent one, Domitian's victim, 
who shrank from the foul help of the headsman's hand, 
as her foot slipped on the fatal ladder, and fixed her eyes 
once upon the rabble, then turned and went down alone 
into the deadly darkness." (Marion Crawford.) 

215. — PORTA PIA — OCCUPATION OF ROME. 

At the end of the Via Venti Settembre stands Porta 
Pia, by which the Italian troops under General Cadorna 
entered Rome on September 20, 1870. The history of 
that momentous event will be found in Balan's Storiadella 
Chiesa, vol. ii., on the following pages : 
Page 1008. Victor Emmanuel's letter to Pope Pius IX, 

Sept. 8, 1870. 
Page 1010. The Pope's answer. 
Page 1017. The breach of Porta Pia. 



(1) Ave ^oma Immortalis, vol. i, p. 91. 



266 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Page 1018. Pius IX ascends the Scala Santa. 

Page 1019. The entrance into Rome of the dregs of Italy 

in the wake of Cadorna's troops. 
Page 1020. Insults offered to the Pope the day after the 

entrance. 
Page 1023. The cry raised, '* No priests, no religion, no 

catechism." 
Page 1024. The Plebiscite : the wounding of priests. 

The death knell of papacy said to have sounded. 
Pages 1027, 1082. Violent measures against religious. 
Page 1027. Seizure of the Apostolic palace of the Quirinal. 
Page 1031. The Vatican Council discontinued. 
Page 1033. Protests of Pius IX against the occupation of 

his sovereignty. 
Page 1035. Excommunication of all those who have been 

guilty of the invasion of the Papal States and of 

Rome ; also of their accomplices, abettors, advisers, 

co-operators, assistants. 
Cardinal Manning, speaking on Easter Sunday, 1877, 
refers to the occupation of Rome in the following words : 
"In the year 1870 an army of 60,000 men with 150 
guns surrounded the throne of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, 
and with an inglorious victory, breached the crumbling 
walls of that city of peace. They entered in. What was 
their first act ? It was, so far as man could, to depose 
the Vicar of our Lord, to transfer his sovereignty to 
another, to make him a subject." 

Protests of the Holy Father. 

Pius IX, in his allocution of March 12, 1877, speaks of 
the events of 1870 as follows : ** We at once openly pro- 
claimed that this sacrilegious invasion was not intended 
so much to oppress our civil principality as it was to un- 
dermine all the more readily, through the oppression of 
our temporal power, all the institutions of the Church, to 
overthrow the authority of the Holy See, and to utterly 
destroy the power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ, which all 
unworthy as we are, we exercise here on earth." 

Again: ''There can never be any peace, security or 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 267 

tranquillity for the entire Catholic Church, so long as the 
exercise of the supreme ecclesiastical ministry is at the 
mercy of the passions of party, the caprice of govern- 
ments, the vicissitudes of political elections, and of the 
projects and actions of designing men, who will not hesi- 
tate to sacrifice justice to their own interests." 

Leo XIII, on March 12, 1881, thus describes the situation 
of the Pope : **The most bitter results of this nefarious 
conspiracy fell upon the Roman Pontiff; to whom, de- 
prived of his lawful rights, and in many ways hindered in 
the discharge of his chief duties, a certain shadow of 
kingly majesty, as if in mockery, is left. Wherefore, 
placed upon the height of sacred power, and busied in the 
administration of the whole Church, we have for a long 
time both felt and declared how bitter and wretched is 
that state into which the vicissitudes of the times have 
driven us." 

216.— STATE OF THE CHURCH IN ROME SINCE 1870. 

Leo XIII in his encyclical of October 15, 1890, speaks 
thus of the conspiracy against the Church on the part of 
the Masonic sects, which have become all powerful in 
Italy since 1870: ** It is the plan of the sects (secret so- 
cieties) that is now unfolding itself in Italy, especially 
what relates to the Catholic religion and the Church, with 
the final and avowed purpose, if it were possible, of re- 
ducing it to nothing. Possessed by the spirit of Satan, 
whose instrument they are, they burn like him with a 
deadly and implacable hatred of Jesus Christ and of His 
work ; and they endeavor by every means to overthrow 
and to fetter it." 

He proceeds to enumerate the evils inflicted on the 
Church by these her avowed enemies : we give them in 
the Pope's own words : 

(1) The overthrow of the Pope's civil power, thereby 
to enslave, if not destroy, his spiritual power ; (2) the 
suppression of religious orders ; (3) the obligation of 
military service extended to ecclesiastics ; (4) hands laid 
on ecclesiastical property, partly by absolute confiscation. 



268 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

and partly by charging it with enormous burdens, so as 
to impoverish the clergy and the Church ; (5) the proc- 
lamation of civil marriage ; (6) the abolition in the schools 
of every kind of religious instruction, so that the rising 
generation may grow up without any idea of religion, and 
without the first essential notions of their duties to God ; 
(7) the exclusion of every Catholic or clerical element 
from all public administrations, from pious works, hos- 
pitals, schools, etc.; (8) the dignity of the ApostoHc See 
insulted, exposed to the frequent affronts of depraved 
men ; (9) the closing of Catholic churches and profaning 
of not a few ; (10) the multiplication of temples for heret- 
ical worship; (11) the teachings of depravity both by 
word and deed scattered around with impunity ; (12) the 
passing of laws detrimental to the Church and Catholic- 
ity, etc. 

See Encyclical of Oct. 15, 1890, and allocution of 
March 12, 1881. 

Reflections at Porta Pia, see The Messenger, New York, 
Oct., 1902, p. 407, seq. 

217.— THE PLEBISCITE OF OCTOBER 2, 1870. 

The attempt was made to justify the seizure and reten- 
tion of the Holy City by the free verdict of the people, 
who, when appealed to for an expression of their will as 
to their future rulers, voted **to a man " that they wished 
to be included in United Italy under the rule of Victor 
Emmanuel and his successors. A tablet on the capitol, 
already referred to, states that 40,785 voted for Victor 
Emmanuel, and only a paltry handful, 46, for the con- 
tinuance of the Pope's rule. This so-called plebiscite 
took place on October 2, 1870, and will be found described 
in the Civilta Cattolica of 1871, p. 220. It is stated that 
all the soldiers and public officials, who had just entered 
K.ome, all those who were in any way in the employment 
of the State, all the riff-raff that had swarmed into the 
city on the heels of the invading army, all the children of 
the public schools, etc., all these were counted for the 
nonce as Roman citizens and marched to the booths to 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 269 

register their votes in favor of the new government. The 
true Romans, who would have voted for the Pope, were 
either excluded en masse as being illiterate or disqualified 
for various reasons, or were intimidated and kept away 
from the booths by troops of hired ruffians, who stood 
ready to receive them with hisses. On the other hand, 
the partisans of the new order of things were invited to 
register their vote not once, but over and over again, as 
often as they liked, and at any of the booths in the city. 
The counting, too, of the votes, was done by the govern- 
ment officials, so that nothing is wanting to show the true 
nature of the whole proceeding. Such is the account 
given by the Catholic papers of the period. On the day 
following the plebiscite, the Pope's palace on the Quirinal 
was seized. 

218. — VILLA MACAO, OUTSIDE PORTA PIA — THE COUN- 
TRY HOUSE OF THE ROMAN COLLEGE FROM 
THE TIME OF ST. ALOYSIUS TILL 1872. 

Till the month of April, 1902, there stood at the en- 
trance of the avenue Castro Pretorio, just outside the 
Porta Pia, a plain square building with an arcaded front, 
and with one of its sides resting against the ancient wall 
of Aurelian. This was the Villa Macao, (1) which, with 
its extensive vineyard, belonged to the I^oman College of 
the Society of Jesus, and is referred to as ''the vine- 
yard" in Father Cepari's lives of St. Aloysius and St. 
John Berchmans. Here two young saints came on Thurs- 
days with the other Jesuit Scholastics for the weekly rec- 
reation, and interesting traditions are still preserved of 
the games in which they joined. The vineyard included 
the present Viale Castro Pretorio, and the large barracks 
and drill grounds. Till, 1872 three laurel avenues of con- 
siderable length led to the front of the house, and afforded 
delicious shade in summer, the branches interlacing per- 



(1) The name seems to be derived from a gift of land made to the 
Society of Jesus in the sixteenth century for the Mission of Macao 
in China. 



270 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

fectly overhead. The trees were very aged, and it was 
commonly believed that they were already planted in St. 
Aloysius' time. The villa had a large refectory, and over 
it a chapel dedicated to St. John Francis Regis. This in- 
teresting building has recently been swept away, and its 
vineyard converted into a public avenue, and an exten- 
sive barracks enclosure. In the revolution of 1849 the 
mob searched through the house and grounds for any 
Jesuit that might be hiding there, and caught one lay- 
brother, named Emidio Casaccia, dressed as a gardener, 
whom they dragged off to prison. 

219.— VILLA PATRIZI — CATACOMB OF ST. NICOMEDES. 

Immediately outside the Porta Pia is the beautiful Villa 
Patrizi, part of the grounds of which have been sold to 
building associations. Here, Father Patrizi, S.J., so 
well known for his commentaries on Holy Scripture, 
came to live with his relatives in the revolution of 1848, 
occupying one of the poorest rooms in the most secluded 
part of the building. ** The lovely screen of pink Judas 
trees and ilex at the entrance of this villa, which were 
such a feature of this approach to Rome, was destroyed 
in the spring of 1892, to make the dusty, shadeless piazza 
we now see." (A. Hare.) 

Under the grounds of the villa is the small Catacomb of 
St. Nicomedes, said to date from the first century, and to 
have been originally the place of sepulture of the noble 
Gens Katia. The titular saint was a priest, who was ar- 
rested in the persecution of Domitian, for his assiduity in 
assisting the martyrs in their conflicts and interring their 
bodies. Refusing with constancy to sacrifice to idols, he 
was beaten to death with clubs about the year ninety. 
His remains were cast into the Tiber from the Pons Sub- 
licius, whence they were rescued by the Christians, and 
buried in this catacomb. Pope Paschal I translated them 
to the church of S. Prassede in the ninth century. The 
catacomb is said to be associated with St. Peter, who is 
thought to have baptized here : it is certain that this part 
of Rome, in the neighborhood of the Pretorian camp, was 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 271 

the scene of St. Peter's apostolic work, where he was pro- 
tected from the molestations of the Jews. 

We now follow the Via Nomentana in the direction of 
S. Agnese, an ancient road hallowed by the footsteps of 
many martyrs and countless holy pilgrims. In papal 
times this was the favorite walk of the cardinals, but it 
has been spoilt since 1870 by blocks of ugly tenement 
houses of the most miserable kind, hastily run up and al- 
ready falling to pieces. 

The walk to S. Agnese on the saint's feast, is thus de- 
scribed by Cardinal Wiseman : '' It was a lovely morning. 
Many will remember it to have been a beautiful day on its 
anniversary, as they have walked out of the Nomentan 
Gate, now the Porta Pia, towards the church which bears 
our virgin-martyr's name, to see blessed upon her altar 
the two lambs, from whose wool are made the palliums 
sent by the Pope to the archbishops of his communion. 
Already the almond-trees are hoary, not with frost, but 
with blossoms ; the earth is being loosened round the 
vines, and spring seems latent in the swelling buds, which 
are watching for the signal from the southern breeze to 
burst and expand. The atmosphere, rising into a cloud- 
less sky, has just that temperature that one loves, of a 
sun, already vigorous, not heating, but softening, the 
slightly frosty air. Such we have frequently experienced 
St. Agnes' day, together with the joyful thousands, hast- 
ening to her shrine." (*' Fabiola," p. 317.) 

220.— CHURCH OF ST. AGNES ON THE VIA NOMENTANA. 

About a mile and a half from the Porta Pia stands the 
beautiful church of St. Agnes, one of the gems of mediae- 
val Rome. It is dedicated to the wonderful child-mar- 
tyr, whose history we know from St. Jerome, St. Am- 
brose and other Fathers of the Church. The saint's 
family owned a villa on this spot, and here, after her 
martyrdom, they buried her remains on their own property. 

The church or basilica was built by the Emperor Con- 
stantine in the year 324, at the request of his daughter 



272 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Constantia, who was baptized near this spot. Pope 
Honorius restored it in the seventh century (about 630), 
and in spite of all the changes, vicissitudes, revolutions 
of the fourteen centuries that have since intervened, the 
church remains practically as Honorius left it. It was 
regilt and decorated by Pope Pius IX in 1855, in thanks- 
giving for his miraculous escape when the floor of an ad- 
joining residence gave way, and he and his attendant 
cardinals and prelates were precipitated into the story 
below without sustaining any injury. (1) 

As the church is considerably below the level of the 
soil, the approach to it is by a descent of forty-seven 
broad marble steps. The walls on either side of this stair 
are covered with inscriptions found in the adjoining cata- 
combs. At the foot of the stair will be noticed a marble 
slab with the beautiful verses which Pope St. Damasus 
(366-384) wrote for the saint's tomb. 

The interior is very striking, being beautifully propor- 
tioned and rich in ancient mosaics and precious columns of 
breccia, porta santa 3.nd pavonazzetto. Sixteen of these col- 
umns divide the nave from the aisles, and over them is 
another row of smaller columns supporting the roof and 
gallery. A subtle fragrance as of incense and flowers 
seems to pervade the building. The high altar has a rich 
baldacchino, upheld by four columns of porphyry, also 
an antique statue of the saint, of Oriental alabaster, with 
head and hands of bronze gilt. Beneath the altar, en- 
closed within a silver shrine (the gift of Pope Paul V), are 
the bodies of St. Agnes and of her foster sister, St. Emer- 
entiana. Martyr. (2) The tribune or chancel behind the 



(1) See the large fresco in the rooms on the right of the entrance 
court. 

(2) Cardinal Kopp, Bishop of Breslau, and Titular of the Basilica 
of St. Agnes outside the walls, ordered some excavations a short 
time ago in the catacombs underneath his church. A new gallery, 
with its loculi and appurtenances quite intact, has been discovered 
under the high altar ; some brickwork tombs of the fourth and fifth 
centuries have been brought to light, and the silver coffin in which 
Paul V placed the bodies of St. Agnes and St. Emerentiana was 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 273 

high altar has an ancient episcopal throne in the centre 
of the apse. The semi-circular vault of the apse is 
adorned with mosaics of the seventh century, the work 
of Honorius I, where the saint is represented in costly 
robes, with the symbols of her martyrdom — sword and 
flames — at her feet. On either side stand Popes Sym- 
machus (498-514) and Honorius (626-638). 

During the excavations referred to in the note a sepul- 
chral inscription was also found recording the burial place 
of the Abbess Serena, a religious (sacra virgo) who lived 
eighty-five years, and was buried during the consulship of 
the illustrious consul Senator {i. e., Magnus AureUus Cas- 
siodorus, Senator, who was consul in A. D. 514). (1) This 
shows that a regular convent of nuns, with a superior, ex- 
isted here at that early date. 

221. — THE BLESSING OF THE LAMBS. 

Every year on St. Agnes' feast, January 21, High 
Mass is followed by an interesting ceremony, which at- 
tracts crowds of the faithful ; it is the blessing of two 
little lambs, emblems of innocence and sacrifice which are 
brought into the church in separate baskets, resting on 
damask cushions, with their legs tied in red and blue rib- 
bons, and thus laid upon the altar. The blessing is by 
the Abbot of the Canons K.egular of the Lateran, the 
choir meanwhile singing the antiphon *'Stans a dextris, 
etc." The blessing over, they are delivered to the mas- 
ter of ceremonies of the Lateran Basilica, who takes them 
to the Vatican to present them to the Pope. The Holy 
Father sends them to the nuns of S. Cecilia in Traste- 
vere, whose property they become. About Easter they 
are shorn of their beautiful white fleece, which is given to 
the Pope. This is woven into Palliums, which are blessed 



found in the centre of a crypt. The coffin with its sacred relics has 
been covered in with masonry, pending further instructions from 
the Cardinal Titular. (Tablet, Dec. 21, 1901.) 

(1) He was private secretary of King Theodoric. He afterwards 
became a monk and died in the cloister about A.D. 570. 



274 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

on the vigil of the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, and then 
placed in an urn in the Confession of St. Peter's Basilica, 
over the apostle's tomb. These are sent by the head 
Shepherd of the Universal Church to Metropolitans, to be 
worn as a symbol of their share in the plenary jurisdiction 
of the Chief Shepherd over the whole flock of Christ. 

222. — THE TOMB OF ST. AGNES — MARTYRDOM OF ST. 
EMERENTIANA. 

The touching account of St. Agnes' martyrdom, writ- 
ten by Ambrose, a servant of God (sixth century?) re- 
lates that after the executioner had done his work, and 
the crimson stream of her blood had consecrated her as a 
bride and martyr of Christ, ''her parents, not indeed in 
sorrow, but rather in joy, took up her body and buried it 
on their estate not far from the city on the Via Nomen- 
tana. Here a large crowd of Christians soon gathered, 
but were compelled to flee by the pagans coming out 
armed against them : nor did they escape without some 
having been wounded with stones. Emerentiana alone, 
foster sister to Agnes, a most holy virgin, though only a 
catechumen, stood firm, fearless and unmoved, and thus 
rebuked them : * O miserable, fallen and cruel wretches, 
why do you slay those who worship God Almighty? 
Why do you thus stone men who have done no evil ?' 
Uttering these and similar reproaches to the furious mob, 
she was stoned by them, and died praying by the tomb 
of most blessed Agnes, being baptized in her own blood, 
bravely meeting death in defense of justice, confessing 
the Lord." (Koble's translation.) 

At that same hour a violent earthquake and storm of 
thunder and lightning so terrified the persecuting crowd, 
that thenceforward no one ventured to molest those who 
came to visit St. Agnes' tomb. 

223. — VISION OF ST. AGNES. 

''That night," continues Ambrose, "the parents of 
blessed Agnes came with the priests and took away the 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 275 

body of the holy Virgin Emerentiana, burying it in the 
field adjoining that of the most blessed Virgin Agnes. 

''Now it came to pass, that while the parents of 
blessed Agnes were spending the night at her tomb, sud- 
denly in the dead silence of night, a bright light shone 
forth, and they saw an array of virgins passing, all robed 
in cloth of gold ; and among them they saw also most 
blessed Agnes, robed like the rest, and at her right hand 
there stood a lamb whiter than snow. Her parents and 
all with them, seeing these things, were silent with won- 
der. But blessed Agnes said to her parents : Do not 
grieve for me as dead : but rejoice and be glad, because 
I have gained the mansions of light, as these have done 
before me, and am united to Him in heaven, whom while 
on earth I used to love with my whole soul. This said, 
she passed away." 

The commemoration of this vision is kept by the 
Church on January 28. 

224. — CONSTANTIA, DAUGHTER OF CONSTANTINE, 

CURED AT ST. AGNES' TOMB — CHURCH 

OF S. COSTANZA. 

The vision was publicly told by those who had seen it, 
and so, after some years, it reached the ears of Constantia, 
(1) daughter of the Emperor Constantine. She was suffer- 
ing from a sore disease, being covered with ulcers, but 
full of confidence in the holy martyr, though she was still 
a pagan, she came to St. Agnes' tomb by night and 
poured forth her prayers in all faith. As she prayed, a 
voice bade her act with constancy and believe that the 
Lord Jesus Christ would free her from her sufferings. 
She arose miraculously healed, not a trace being left of 



(1) Amianus Marcellinus, Bk. xxi, ch. i, says that the three 
daughters of Constantine — Helena^ wife of Julian, Constantina, 
wife of Gallus Csesar, and Constantia, who had vowed chastity and 
managed a congregation of virgins, which she had established near 
St. Agnes' Church — were all buried in the same place, {i.e., in the 
mausoleum or church of S. Costanza). 



276 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

her disease. Her return to the palace gave great joy to 
her father, the emperor, and to her brother. The whole 
city was decorated, and *' gladness reigned in all hearts." 
She was soon after baptized near St. Agnes' tomb, and 
she asked her father to build a Basilica to the Martyr- 
Saint. 

After her baptism Constantia persevered in virginity, 
and under her many virgins received the sacred veil. 
Her father, the emperor, built a mausoleum for her close 
to St. Agnes, where she was afterwards buried. Pope 
Alexander IV (1254-1261) converted this beautiful edifice 
into a church dedicated to St. Constantia. The present 
entrance is by the convent gate near S. Agnese. The 
church is circular in form, seventy-three feet in diameter, 
the cupola being supported by twenty-four coupled granite 
columns. The drum of the cupola was once covered with 
splendid mosaics, which have disappeared, but the designs 
have been preserved by Padre Garucci, S.J. 

In the vault of the circular passage outside the range of 
columns may still be seen the mosaics of the time of Con- 
stantine, bright as new, representing birds, flowers, boys 
holding leaves and bunches of grapes, vintage scenes, etc. 
The mosaics in the two recesses are of a later period and 
of inferior merit. 

225. — THE CATACOMBS OF S. AGNESE. 

These are among the most interesting of the Catacombs 
of Rome and ought to be visited, though special leave is 
required (obtainable from any cardinal or archbishop), 
otherwise only a small portion is shown that has but little 
interest. 

The entrance is by a staircase said to be of the time of 
Constantine. The walls of the subterranean galleries are 
pierced on both sides with horizontal niches, like shelves 
in a book-case or berths in a steamer, and every niche 
once contained one or more dead bodies. Fragments of 
inscriptions may be seen, in some places with the palm of 
victory engraven on the stone slab, or scratched on the 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 277 

mortar, to indicate that here was laid the body of a mar- 
tyr. An illustration of one of these galleries will be found 
in Dr. Northcote's R^oma Sotterranea, p. 26. At various 
intervals in the gallery there is a doorway entering into a 
chamber. One square chamber hewn in the rock has 
armchairs cut out of the rock on either side of the en- 
trance, with a stone bench round the wall (illustration, see 
Northcote, ibid., p. 3 1) ; it may have been intended for the 
catechumens, not yet initiated by baptism. Another sim- 
ilar chamber may have been for the female catechumens, 
or for the class of public penitents known as audientes, or 
hearers. Another cubiculum, or chamber, opening out of 
the gallery close by was evidently used as a chapel ; it 
has an arcosolium or tomb-altar in the wall (illustration, 
see Northcote, p. 30), and its roof is richly painted. 
Above the arcosolitim is the figure of our Divine Saviour 
as the Good Shepherd, bearing a sheep upon His shoul- 
ders, and standing between other sheep and trees. In 
other compartments are representations of Daniel in the 
lion's den, the Three Children in the furnace, Moses 
striking the rock, the Paralytic carrying his bed, etc. 

At the farther part of the catacomb is a subterranean 
church or basilica, a plan of which will be found in '' Fab- 
iola," p. 222. It consists of two divisions separated by 
the gallery, one being for the men, the other for the 
women. Each division is divided into two lengths or 
bays by half columns or flat pilasters. Beyond the men's 
compartment, a prolongation of the structure forms a 
chancel or sanctuary, separated from the other part by 
two columns against the wall, and distinguished by its 
lesser height, like modern chancels. At the end of this 
chancel against the middle of the wall, is a chair with 
back and arms cut out of the solid stone, intended for the 
bishop, and on each side are stone benches along the wall 
for the clergy. Above the Episcopal chair is an arcoso- 
lium or arched tomb, too high for Mass to have been cele- 
brated there, as the chair is immovable. A portable altar 
must, therefore, have been placed before the bishop's 
throne, in an isolated position in the middle of the sane- 



278 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

tuary and tradition tells us that here was placed the 
altar of St. Peter. (See '' Fabiola," p. 222). 

A flight of steps leads down to a chapel with an ancient 
fresco of our Lady, represented as an orante {i.e.y as one 
praying with outstretched arms), with the Divine Child in 
front of her. On either side of this picture is the mono- 
gram of Constantine. Near this chapel is a chamber 
with a spring running through it, evidently used as a bap- 
tistery. 

226. — THE CEMETERY OF OSTRIANUS, WHERE ST. PETER 

BAPTIZED. 

The entrance is a little beyond S. Agnese, but it is open 
to the public only on January 18, the feast of St. Peter's 
Chair, This is a part of the Catacombs of St. Agnes, 
existing already in apostolic times, where St. Peter is 
said to have had his ''chair" or throne, exercising here 
his sacred office in times of danger, (A.D. 49 to 52). The 
chair may still be seen carved out of the living rock, as 
described above, and believed to have been used by the 
apostle. The place was known in early ages as Fons 
Beati Petri, ''St. Peter's baptismal font:" also, Ad 
Nymphas Sti Petri ubi baptizabat, i.e., " The stream where 
St. Peter baptized." It was a place of pilgrimage in the 
sixth century and drops of the oil of the lamp that here 
burnt before St. Peter's chair were carried away in little 
glass phials as relics. Among the phials of oil preserved 
at Monza, collected at the shrines of Home for Queen 
Theodelinda by Abbot John, in the sixth century, is one 
with oil from this place. (See Northcote, I(oma Sotter- 
ranea, p. 67-p. 24. Grisar, S. J. / Papi, etc., vol. i, p. 
414.) 

There is some controversy, however, as to the place 
where St. Peter fixed his Chair, and the centre of admin- 
istration of the Primitive Church. Professor Marucchi 
thinks it was in the ancient baptistery which has been 
brought to light at the Catacombs of St. Priscilla on the 
Via Salaria. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 279 

227.— THE NOMENTAN BRIDGE — NERO'S DEATH — THE 
BASILICA OF ST. ALESSANDRO. 

Half a mile beyond S. Agnese, the road reaches the 
"willow-fringed river Anio," which is crossed by the 
Ponte Nomentano, an ancient bridge, surmounted by a 
tower. Beyond the bridge is a hill, supposed to be the 
Mons Sacer, rendered famous by the secessions of the 
Plebs, in B. C. 549 and B. C. 449. 

Not far off was the Villa of Phaon, where Nero, the 
human fiend, to whom St. Augustine assigns the first 
place in the catalogue of wicked emperors, (1) closed his 
loathsome life by suicide on June 11, A. D. 68. The de- 
fection of the last Roman legion was announced to him 
while at dinner in the Golden House. On hearing the 
news he tore up the letter, upset the table, dashed on the 
floor two crystal vases of immense value, and after sev- 
eral attempts at suicide, his courage failing him at each 
attempt, he fled from Rome on horseback by the Nomen- 
tan Gate (close to the present Porta Pia). He was dis- 
guised as a domestic, with his head covered, and a hand- 
kerchief concealing his face. As he left the city, a shock 
of earthquake was felt ; then lightning flashed in his face. 
The shouts of the soldiers in the Pretorian camp hard by 
could be heard ; they were uttering curses on his head. 
As he rushed madly on, his horse took fright at a dead 
body that lay in the road, causing him to drop his hand- 
kerchief. A passing soldier recognized him and addressed 
him by name, thereupon he quitted his horse, forsook the 
highway, entered a thicket that led to the back of Phaon' s 
house, creeping through the weeds and brambles with 
which the place was overgrown. Hearing that he was 
condemned by the senate to be scourged to death in the 
public Forum, with his head fixed in a pillory, he pre- 
ferred suicide and expired with his eyes almost starting 
from his head, staring so frightfully, that the soldiers who 
entered the room were terrified and disgusted at the sight. 
Thus perished one of the worst of men, and the first great 



(\) De Civitate Dei, lib. S, cap. 19. 



280 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

persecutor of the Church in Rome, who had put to death 
SS. Peter and Paul and countless other martyrs. 

At the seventh milestone (counting from the Forum) 
are the remains of the Basilica of S. Alessandro, built on 
the spot where that holy Pope suffered martyrdom with 
his companions, SS. Eventius and Theodulus, A.D. 117. 
The basilica, discovered in 1856, is perfect in plan, the 
episcopal throne remaining in its place, and the chancel 
and altar retaining fragments of rich marbles. A bap- 
tistery was also found with its font. The bodies of these 
holy martyrs were removed to S. Sabina on the Aventine 
in the fifth century by Celestine I. On their festival, May 
3, Mass is said here in the old basilica by one of the car- 
dinals, and there is generally a large attendance. The 
scene is worthy of an artist's brush, the altar, with its 
awning in the roofless basilica, the cardinal and assistant 
clergy grouped round the altar, the nave filled with wor- 
shippers, the desolate Campagna in the foreground and 
the blue Sabine mountains in the distance. 



CHAPTER XL 
To The Aventine. 

228. — OSPEDALE DELLA CONSOLAZIONE— ST. ALOYSIUS, 
MARTYR OF CHARITY. 

On the south side of the Roman Forum, is a plain look- 
ing building known as the Ospedale della Consolazione, 
*' Hospital of our Lady of Consolation," where St. Aloy- 
sius caught his last illness from attending the plague- 
stricken. In the year 1591, a terrible epidemic devastated 
Rome, and thousands were swept into their graves. St. 
Aloysius was inflamed with the holy desire to assist the 
plague-stricken, and by repeated entreaties obtained from 
his superiors the necessary leave. He was sent to the 
Ospedale della Consolazione, where he was indefatigable 
in his zeal and charity towards the poor sufferers, making 
their beds, washing their sores, waiting on them with ex- 
quisite delicacy, catechizing them, cheering them and 
lifting their thoughts to a better life. All were edified to 
see the young saint perform the most painful and loath- 
some offices of the hospital. The pestilence being highly 
contagious several of the Fathers died martyrs of char- 
ity, and Aloysius himself caught the infection that carried 
him to his grave. 

Blessed T(odolf Acquaviva, son of the Duke of Atri, hav- 
ing made a vow at the age of sixteen to enter the Society 
of Jesus, came to Rome in 1568 to request his uncle, 
Father Claude Acquaviva (afterwards General of the 
Society), to obtain the consent of Father General, and to 
overcome the opposition of the Duke, his father. He 
found Father Claude serving the sick in this same hospital. 

St. John Baptist de I(ossi, when a pupil of the Roman 
College, used to invite his young companions to come and 

281 



282 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

join him in comforting and catechizing the sick in this 
home of charity. 

Following the south side of the Forum, as far as the 
ruins of the temple of Augustus, we reach the Via de S. 
Teodoro, which leads straight to the Aventine. 

229.— S. TEODORO, FIRST ARCHCONFRATERNITY OF THE 
SACRED HEART IN ROME. 

In the Via di S. Teodoro at the foot of the Palatine, is 
a little round church shut in by a railing and dedicated to 
St. Theodore, a young soldier who was martyred at 
Amasea in Pontus in the persecution of Maximian, A.D. 
306. There was formerly great devotion to this saint, 
who was familiarly known as San Toto, and mothers 
would bring their sick children to be cured by him. His 
panegyric, pronounced by St. Gregory of Nyssa, contains 
the following passage applicable to the Eternal City since 
its invasion in 1870 by the Piedmontese, when the city 
gates were opened to troops of Methodists, Baptists, Prot- 
estants of every shade, many of whom seek, by souper- 
ism and other discreditable means, to rob the Roman poor 
of their faith. 

*• O Theodore, as a soldier defend us ; as a martyr, in- 
tercede for us, obtain for us peace. . . . Gather also your 
brother Martyrs, and with them all pray for us. Stir up 
SS. Peter and Paul, that they be solicitous for the churches 
which they founded. May no heresies sprout up there : may 
the Christian commonwealth, by your and their prayers, 
become a flourishing field." 

The church dates from the time of St. Gregory the 
Great (end of sixth century), and the mosaics of the sanc- 
tuary are of that period. Over the entrance door is the 
name of Nicholas V, who restored the church in 1450. 
Since 1729 it has been used as an oratory of the Sacconi, 
a charitable confraternity resembling the famous miseri- 
cordia of Florence, counting among its members represen- 
tatives of the noblest families of Rome. 

In the church of S. Teodoro the first archconfraternity 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 28'^ 



o 



of the Sacred Heart in K.ome was established by St. Leon- 
ard of Port Maurice and Father GaUifet, of the Society of 
Jesus, about A.D. 1727. Above the doorway may be seen 
a representation of the Sacred Heart, and on the tomb- 
stones in the area in front of the church the deceased 
members of the confraternity of the Sacconi are described 
as Sodales SSi. Cordis Jesu. The centre of this archcon- 
fraternity has since been transferred to the church of Sa. 
Maria della Pace, near the Piazza Navona ; but the Sac- 
coni account it their greatest privilege and distinction to 
have been among the first disciples of the Sacred Heart 
in Rome. 

It is interesting to note that this devotion was first 
preached in England, in 1676, by venerable Father 
Claude de la Colombiere, then chaplain of Mary d'Este 
of Modena, Duchess of York, at the court of St. James : 
and one of the first requests, if not the very first, ad- 
dressed to the Holy See for a mass to be said in honor of 
the Sacred Heart, came from this same Mary d'Este, when 
dethroned and exiled with her husband, James H, for their 
attachment to the faith and See of Peter. 

Concerning this first introduction of the devotion into 
England, Father Dalgairns, in his work on the Sacred 
Heart, says : " Oh, what a grace it was ! It was an ap- 
propriate thing that the Sons of St. Ignatius should bring 
it, as they had stood in the front of the battle, and had 
shed their blood for England. How St. Augustine, St. 
Gregory, and St. Mellitus, must have rejoiced from their 
thrones in heaven when this Apostolate of love began in 
England, (p. 87.) 

230.— S. GEORGIO IN VELABRO. (1) 

This ancient church, now seldom open, is dedicated to 
St. George, the soldier-martyr of Cappadocia, who suf- 
fered under Diocletian. The Greeks greatly venerated 

(1) Velabrum ^2lS the name of a lake or marsh caused in this 
part of Rome by the Tiber floods, till Marcus Agrippa and the Em- 
peror Aurelian built the confining wall on the river bank. 



284 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

him and called him the '' Great Martyr." Five or six 
churches were dedicated to him in Constantinople. He 
was chosen Patron of England under the first Norman 
Kings. 

The church bore originally the name of Basilica Sem- 
pronia, from the house of Titus Sempronius, which stood 
somewhere near. 

St. Leo II restored it in the seventh century and dedi- 
cated it to St. Sebastian. Pope Zachary, (741-752), a 
Cappadocian, added St. George as joint-patron. 

The portico and picturesque campanile are the work of 
Prior Stefano Ex Stella in the thirteenth century. 

The church being in a low, damp site, has a chilly 
neglected look. Twenty-four ancient columns divide the 
nave from the aisles, twenty being of granite and four of 
pavonazzo. The ceiling is flat as in many early basilicas. 

The high altar has a marble baldacchino of the eighth 
century, with an ancient Greek picture let into the front. 
The apse was formerly enriched with frescoes by Giotto, 
but these have long since vanished. The marble Episco- 
pal throne, that once stood in the apse at the back of the 
altar, and the marble seats for the clergy have also disap- 
peared. The confession or shrine under the high altar 
has some Cosimati mosaic work and contains three pre- 
cious relics placed here by Pope Zachary in the eighth 
century, viz.: the head of St. George, his spear and por- 
tion of his standard. 

231. — RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF S. GEORGIO. 

St. Gregory the Great is said to have made it a Cardi- 
nalitial church. 

Pope Martin V (Otto Colonna), before ascending the 
Papal throne, was Cardinal of this church ; and Cardinal 
Newman also took his title from it. 

In the sixteenth century it was converted into a collegiate 
church, served by six canons, but was found to be too 
damp and unhealthy for choral duties. At the beginning 
of the nineteenth century, it lay in a neglected and ruined 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 285 

state, when Pope Pius VII gave it to the Confraternity of 
Sta. Maria del Pianto, who held their meetings there. 

Formerly the city magistrates and municipal officers 
came here in state every feast of St. George, preceded by 
the city standard, and after assisting at Holy Mass they 
laid on the altar a silver chalice as an offering to the 
saint. 

St. Ado of Vienne, writing in the ninth century, tells us 
that St. Lawrence, the martyr, distributed alms and cured 
a blind man in the house of one Narcissus, in the Vicus 
Canarius, near the Forum Boarium, i.e.^ near this spot. 
(Bollandus, Acta SS., Aug. 10th.) (1) 

Close to S. Georgio is a curious structure known as 
Janus Quadrifrons, having four equal sides and arches, 
(turned to the four points of the compass,) and forty-eight 
niches. It is built entirely of marble in the style of the 
fourth century, and may have been intended as a shelter 
for those who trafficked in the Forum Boarium. 

The smaller arch on the left of the church was erected 
in honor of Septimius Severus and Antoninus Pius by the 
bankers and cattle dealers of the Forum Boarium. 

232. — SANTA ANASTASIA — RELICS OF OUR LADY AND 
ST. JOSEPH. 

At the end of the Via S. Teodoro, just below the Pala- 
tine, is a large and ancient church said to have been first 
built in the fifth century, and reduced to its present form 
in 1636. 

It is dedicated to St. Anastasia, a Roman lady of illus- 
trious birth, who suffered a cruel martyrdom at Aquileia 
in the persecution of Diocletian, A.D. 304. Her feast 
falls on Christmas day, and she is commemorated in the 
second of the three Masses. 

The church is said to be on the site of her family 
mansion. 



(1) The Via di S. Teodoro proved a rich quarry of ancient mar- 
bles under Pius IV, which were used for the adornment of the new 
St. Peter's. 



286 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The interior presents a noble appearance. The sanctu- 
ary is rich in marbles, and has two superb columns of 
Porta Santa. Beneath the high altar is the shrine of the 
saint with a beautiful marble figure by Ferrata. 

Some Relics of our Lady and St. Joseph, (1) are enclosed 
in an ancient shrine over the altar at the end of the left 
aisle. They consist of the Veil of our Lady, woven of 
different colors, and the mantle of St. Joseph, which may 
have often sheltered the Holy Child, and were discovered 
in a leaden coffer in this church in the fourteenth cen- 
tury. It is supposed by some that they were brought 
from Palestine by St. Jerome. There is also an ancient 
chalice said to have been used by that saint. 

Among the religious memories of S. Anastasia may be 
mentioned the following : 

St. Leo the Great here delivered a homily against 
Eutyches one Christmas morning, about A.D. 450. 

There is a tradition that St. Jerome here celebrated 
Mass during his stay in Rome. (Fourth century.) 

Till the Papal court was transferred to Avignon, in 
1305, the Popes here distributed ashes every Ash Wednes- 
day, then walked barefoot with the Cardinals, prelates 
and clergy of Rome to Santa Sabina to open the Lenten 
Stations. 

Formerly, on Christmas day, the Pope celebrated his 
first Mass at St. Mary Major, the second at this church, 
and the third at St. Peter's. 

Near this church St. Dominic cured ^ Murata (i. e., a 
recluse living in a walled-up cell), named Lucy, who was 
suffering from a painful cancer brought on by her austere 
life. 

Beneath the church are subterranean chambers and 
passages communicating with the imperial palaces on the 
Palatine. 



(1) There is some doubt as to their authenticity. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 287 

233. — THE TWO DOMINICANS AND THE ANGEL. 

Near Santa Anastasia occurred a remarkable event, 
which Sister Cecilia, a contemporary of St. Dominic, 
thus relates in her memoirs of the saint : 

"On a certain day the blessed Dominic commanded 
Brother John of Calabria and Brother Albert of R.ome to 
go into the city to beg alms. They did so without suc- 
cess from morning till the third hour of the day. There- 
fore, they returned to the convent (S. Sisto on the Appian 
Way), and were already hard by the church of St. Anas- 
tasia, when they were met by a poor woman, who had 
great affection for the Order, and seeing that they had 
nothing with them, she gave them a loaf. * For I would 
not,' she said, 'that you should go back quite empty- 
handed.' As they went on a little further, they met a 
young man who asked them very importunely for charity. 
They excused themselves, but he begged the more earn- 
estly. Then they said, one to another : * What can we 
do with only one loaf ? Let us give it to him for the love 
of God.' So they gave him the loaf and instantly he dis- 
appeared. Now when they came to the convent, the 
blessed Father Dominic, to whom the Holy Ghost had 
revealed all that had passed, came out to meet them, say- 
ing with a joyful air : ' Children, you have nothing ? ' 
They replied : ' No, father ; ' and they told him all that 
had happened, and how they had given the loaf to the 
poor man. Then said he : 

'* * It was an Angel of the Lord, the Lord will know 
how to provide for His own. Let us go in and pray.' " 

234.— THE CIRCUS MAXIMUS— THE GREAT FIRE OF ROME 
UNDER NERO, A. D. 64. 

Near where Santa Anastasia now stands was the Circus 
Maximus, between the slope of the Palatine and the 
Aventine. (Via de' Cerchi.) It was begun by the kings, 
enlarged by Caesar, and made capable of seating 385,000 



288 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

persons. The last race took place under King Totiia, 
549. The place has a melancholy interest, because of the 
great fire of Rome in A.D. 54, for which thousands of in- 
nocent Christians were condemned to barbarous deaths. 
Nero had set fire to the city, partly out of deviltry, partly 
with the object of rebuilding it on a plan of greater splen- 
dor ; and to screen himself from the suspicion he charged" 
the Christians with the crime. The flames first broke out 
on July 19, A.D. 64, among the shops and warehouses 
near the Circus Maximus. These belonged chiefly to 
eastern merchants, and were stored with bales of silk and 
other inflammable goods. A high wind was blowing at 
the time, and soon the vast area of the Circus Maximus 
was transformed into a very sea of fire. The flames 
leaped up the slopes of the Palatine and reached the outer 
fringe of its palatial residences ; then swept along the 
Vicus Tusctis (Via di S. Teodoro), and poured into the 
Forum, roaring with savage triumph as temples, basilicas, 
porticos, monuments, palaces fell scorched and blackened 
to the ground. The very air seemed aflame, and the sky 
was reddened with the lurid glare. 

As distinct mutterings were heard among the people 
that the emperor was the author of this terrible crime, he, 
in the cowardly attempt to avert suspicion from himself, 
accused the Christians of the misdeed, and thus began 
the First Great Persecution of the Church. 

The steep lane leading up the Aventine to Santa Sabina 
is the ancient Clivus Publicius, made in the time of the 
Republic. Up this very road must have come St. Peter 
on his way to the house of Aquila and Priscilla, two of 
his first converts ; St. Gregory the Great, St. Leo II, St. 
Leo III, in their processions to Santa Sabina ; St. Domi- 
nic, St. Thomas of Aquin and many other great saints. 

** After we turn the corner at the hill-top, with its fine 
view over the Palatine ... we skirt what appears to be 
part of a city wall. This is, in fact, the wall of the Hono- 
rian city, built by Pope Honorius III, of the great family 
of SaveUi, whose idea was to render the Aventine once 
more the populous and favorite portion of the city, and 



PILGRIM-WAI^KS IN ROME. 289 

who began great works for this purpose. Before his 
arrangements were completed, St. Dominic arrived in 
Rome . . . and the Pope wisely abandoned his designs 
of founding a new city which would commemorate him- 
self, and left the field to St. Dominic, to whom he made 
over the land (and buildings of S. Sabina). Henceforth 
the Convent of S. Sabina and its surroundings have 
become, more than any other spot, connected with the 
history of the Dominican Order." (Hare.) 

235. — SANTA SABINA ON THE AVENTINE. (1) 

St. Sabina, martyr, was a rich and noble lady, who 
resided on this spot, and had in her household a Christian 
servant named Seraphia. The latter, by her piety and 
modesty, converted her pagan mistress to the true faith : 
for which act she was denounced to the magistrates in the 
persecution of Hadrian and cruelly beaten to death with 
clubs. Sabina was spared for a while out of considera- 
tion for her family ; but, after a lapse of a year or so, she 
too was arrested, and won the crown of martyrdom by 
the sword, A.D. 114. 

The church, said to be on the site of her mansion 
where she also suffered martyrdom, was built by a pious 
Illyrian priest named Peter, in the pontificate of Celestine 
I, about A. D. 425. The large mosaic description of the 
fifth century on the west wall of the interior records this 
foundation. The church was consecrated by St. Sixtus 
HI (432-440), and the Lenten Station for Ash Wednesday 
was attached to it by St. Gregory the Great (590-604). 

In 1218, Pope Honorius HI made over the church and 
adjoining buildings to St. Dominic for his newly estab- 
lished Order. 

In spite of Sixtus V's ill-advised alterations in 1586, 
which involved the destruction of ancient pavements, 
mosaics, etc., the church retains most of its ancient fea- 

(1) The Aventine, as seen from Ponte Palatine, with its churches, 
convents, palaces and gardens, is one of the most beautiful of 
;^ome's seven hills. 



290 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

tures as Peter the Illyrian left it in the fifth century ; and 
for this reason it is one of the most interesting of the 
ancient Roman basilicas. 

236. — INTERIOR OF S. SABINA. 

The nave is divided from the aisles by twenty-four 
fluted columns of Parian marble, thought to have belonged 
to an ancient temple that once crowned the Aventine. On 
the wall above the columns is an inlaid frieze of pietra 
dura (J. e., red porphyry and green serpentine) of the fifth 
century. This frieze formerly reached up to the windows, 
but Sixtus V destroyed the upper portion. 

According to Ugonio, the high altar made by Eugenius 
II (824 827) had four marble columns, and a tabernacle of 
silver, which was stolen, probably during some invasion 
of the city. The present altar was substituted for the 
older and richer one by Sixtus V, who unfortunately spoilt 
the sanctuary by taking away the marble seats for the 
clergy round the apse, the marble balustrade enclosing 
the choir, and the ambones or pulpits. The apse formerly 
adorned with mosaics has now some indifferent frescoes 
by the pupils of the Zuccari. 

The confession or shrine below the high altar encloses 
the remains of SS. Sabina, Seraphia, martyrs ; also of St. 
Alexander, Pope and Martyr, and of SS. Eventius and 
Theodulus, priests and martyrs. These sacred relics 
were discovered here when Sixtus V removed the altar of 
Eugenius II. (1) 

A low pillar in the nave marks the spot where St. 
Dominic is said to have knelt in his nightly vigils. On 
one occasion as he was here praying, the devil made a 
serious attempt against his life : a huge stone was hurled 
at him by an invisible hand from the upper part of the 
roof, which all but grazed his head and even tore his 
hood, but falling without further injury to the saint, was 
buried deep in the ground beside him. 



(1) St. Dominic is said to have frequently disciplined himself to 
blood in this confession. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 291 

On the floor in the centre of the nave is a mosaic mon- 
ument of Fra Munio di Zamora, eighth General of the 
Dominicans, who died in 1300. 

In the chapel at the end of the right aisle is the beauti- 
ful painting of Our Lady of the I^osary, said to be Sasso- 
ferrato's best work. This precious treasure was stolen 
by some miscreants who broke into the church one night 
in August, 1901 ; but after some weeks of painful anxiety, 
it was fortunately recovered. In the same chapel are 
three interesting tombs, one being of a Cardinal of the fif- 
teenth century. 

Off the left aisle is a chapel rich in marbles and frescoes, 
built by Elic of Tuscany. 

237. — THE ANCIENT ENTRANCE — ST. DOMINIC'S 
ORANGE-TREE. 

At the west end of the church is the ancient portico or 
vestibule, now partly enclosed by monastic buildings. It 
is supported by spirally fluted marble columns on one 
side, and by granite ones (probably substituted for the 
original marble columns) on the other. The great west 
door with its panels of carved cypress wood (of the fifth 
century) should be noticed : these represent scenes from 
the Old and the New Testament ; and the carving of the 
Crucifixion is said to be one of the earliest representa- 
tions of the subject. The richly sculptured marble jambs 
are of the thirteenth century. 

Through a window in this portico may be seen the 
Orange-tree planted in the cloister by St. Dominic, nearly 
seven hundred years ago and still flourishing About 
1852 it sent out a young and vigorous sucker, which grew 
and flourished, and in 1854 bore flowers and fruit. It was 
remarked that this took place during the novitiate of Pere 
Lacordaire and his companions. 

238.— THE ROOMS OF ST. DOMINIC AND ST. PIUS V. 

On application to the Brother-Sacristan or porter, leave 
is easily obtained to visit these rooms. 

The room or cell of St. Dominic is very small and re- 



292 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

tains little of its ancient features, except a portion of the 
wooden ceiling. It was here that St. Dominic received 
visits from St. Francis of Assisi and St. Angelus, the 
Carmelite. There is a legend that angels accompanied 
the saint from this cell to the church in his nightly 
watches before the Blessed Sacrament. Over the altar is 
a beautiful portrait of the saint by Bazzani, founded on 
the traditional records of his personal appearance. 

The room of St. Pius V (Michael Ghislieri), where he 
lived as a Dominican friar, has a crucifix before which he 
used to pray. He occupied the Papal throne from 1566 
to 1571, and during his pontificate was won the famous 
victory of the Christian fleet over the Turks at Lepanto. 
His body, still incorrupt, is venerated at St. Mary Major. 

239. — RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF SANTA SABINA. 

During the great pestilence of 590, St. Gregory the 
Great assembled the people at S. Sabina and exhorted 
them to do penance so as to appease the Divine anger. 
The substance of his discourse will be found in Snow's 
"Life of St. Gregory the Great," chap. Ill, page 63. On 
the famous procession of penance arranged and prescribed 
on that occasion by St. Gregory, see n. 86. Two of the 
saint's homilies were delivered in this church. 

St. Leo HI (795-816) ordained that on the three days 
preceding the feast of the Ascension, the Litanies should 
be chanted by clergy and people in procession, on the 
first day from St. Mary Major to the Lateran, on the sec- 
ond from S. Sabina to St. Paul's, on the third from Santa 
Croce to S. Lorenzo. 

Santa Sabina is rich in holy memories of St. Dominic. 
When he received the church and residence from Hono- 
rius III in 1218, the neighborhood was well populated and 
the church much frequented. 

In a lunette over the monastery door is a fresco repre- 
senting an angel opening the door for Dominic and two of 
his companions. The event referred to is as follows : 
The saint had been giving an exhortation to the nuns of 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 293 

S. Sisto, and the hour being late, he was pressed to stay 
all night, but he refused and took for his companions 
Brothers Tancred and Odo. At the door of S. Sisto, a 
youth of great beauty met them and went before them 
with a torch through the dark lanes that wind between 
vineyards and gardens over the lower Aventine ; and on 
reaching S. Sabina they found the monastery door shut. 
The youth touched it and it immediately flew open, and 
as the religious entered, the angelic guide disappeared. 

At S. Sabina the saint admitted into his Order SS. 
Hyacinth and Ceslaus, brothers, who became the apostles 
of Bohemia, K,ussia, Sweden, Norway and Prussia. 

If S. Dominic was consoled by visions of angels, he also 
had to endure serious attacks from the evil spirit while 
praying in the church. 

His tender devotion to our Lady was rewarded by a 
consoling vision of the Mother of God extending her 
mantle over his religious as a sign of her special protec- 
tion. 

St. Thomas of Aquin, aged seventeen, fled to S. Sabina 
to escape from his relatives who opposed his religious 
vocation . 

Among other saints who resided in this convent may 
be mentioned St. Norbert, founder of the Premonstraten- 
sians, who died in 1134, before St. Dominic's time; and 
St. Raymond of Pennafort, who came to Rome from Spain 
in 1230, at the command of Gregory IX. 

The story of two angels appearing in the refectory and 
serving Dominic and his brethren at table, (n. 192) is said 
to have occurred a second time at S. Sabina. (1) It was 
during a season of great scarcity when there was no food 
in the monastery. St. Dominic ordered his brethren to 
go as usual to the refectory for the mid-day meal, and 
taking his place at the head of the table, he said the usual 
grace ; and *' behold ! two beautiful youths clad in white 
and shining garments, appeared amongst them ; one car- 



(1) The life of the saint by Miss Drane only mentions the occur- 
rence at S. Sisto. 



294 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

ried a basket of bread and the other a pitcher of wine, 
which they distributed to the brethren ; then they disap- 
peared, and no one knew how they came in nor how they 
had gone out." (Jameson). 

240. — S. ALESSIO, NEAR S. SABINA. 

This ancient church is dedicated to the young saint, 
whose story is familiar to us through Cardinal Wiseman's 
beautiful drama, ''The Hidden Gem." 

St. Alexius was the son of Euphemian, a wealthy I(o- 
man Senator, and was a perfect model of contempt of the 
world. Forced by his parents to marry against his will, 
on the very night of the nuptials he fled secretly and lived 
as a pilgrim in the East for seventeen years, his parents 
giving him up for lost. Returning to Rome in the garb of 
a poor mendicant, he lived unrecognized near his father's 
mansion on the Aventine (1), and died under the entrance 
stair. A letter was found written in his hand after death 
disclosing his identity. These events are said to have 
happened in the fifth century, but their authenticity is 
questioned by certain critics. 

Close to Euphemian' s house was a church of the fourth 
century, built by a rich lady named Aglae, in honor of 
St. Boniface, martyr, whose death won for her the grace 
of conversion. (Alban Butler, May 14.) The present 
church is dedicated to St. Alexius and St. Boniface. 

Honorius III rebuilt the edifice in 1216, and during the 
progress of the work the bodies of two Saints, Boniface 
and Alexius, were discovered and placed under the high 
altar, where they were last seen in 1603. 

Of Honorius' building only the campanile and mosaic 
pavement remain, the crypt being probably the earlier 
church of Aglae. 

In 1750 this interesting sanctuary was modernized by 
Cardinal Quirini, nearly all its ancient features being 
sacrificed. 



(1) Where the church now stands. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 295 

241.— INTERIOR OF S. ALESSIO. 

The entrance is by a courtyard, which was probably 
the vestibule of Euphemian's house. In the porch is a 
statue of Benedict XIII. (Orsini. d. 1724.) The entrance 
has a rich mosaic border, probably the work of Hon- 
orius III. 

The interior presents a rich and noble appearance. 
The high altar has a beautiful baldacchino resting on four 
columns of verde antico ; beneath are the bodies of the 
titular saints. In the choir, behind the high altar, is a 
rich Episcopal throne flanked by two marble columns 
inlaid with mosaic. An inscription on one of these states 
that there were originally nineteen such columns round 
the apse. 

In the right aisle is the Lady-altar with a miraculous 
picture of the Blessed Virgin brought from Edessa by 
Abbot Sergius, in the tenth century. There is a tradition 
that St. Alexius, while praying at Edessa before this 
picture, was told by our Lady to return to Rome. The 
rich tabernacle is the gift of Charles IV of Spain. 

At the foot of the left aisle is preserved the wooden 
stair, under which St. Alexius is said to have died. Near 
it maybe seen the ancient well of Euphemian's house. 
The splendid mosaic pavement is of the thirteenth century. 

The Crypt (Aglae's church), has a marble Episcopal 
throne, and is said to have been one of the secret places 
of meeting of Pope and faithful during the days of perse- 
cution. A pillar is shown under the altar to which St. 
Sebastian is said to have been bound at his martyrdom. 

242. — S. ALESSIO, HOME OF THE SAINTS. 

Baronius speaks of this sanctuary as Domicilium Sanc- 
torum, *' Home of the Saints," because of the many saints 
who resided here, viz. : St. Odo of Cluny, St, Adalbert, 
Bishop of Prague and apostle of the Bohemians, St. Gau- 
dentiuSy brother of St. Adalbert, St. Anastasius, St. Boni- 
face, apostle of Southern Russia and others. (1). 



(1) Armellini. Chiese di I^oma, p. 587. 



296 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Benedict VII (975-984) gave the church and monastery 
to Sergius, Greek Bishop of Damascus, driven from his 
See by the Arabian persecution. Sergius brought with 
him a community of Greek Basilian monks (in 977), and 
S. Alessio became a centre of apostleship to the Slavs. 

In the eleventh century, St. Odo of Cluny with a com- 
munity of Cluniac monks (Benedictines), came to reside 
at S. Alessio. 

In 1231 they were succeeded by the Premonstraten- 
sians ; and these, again, by the Hieronymites in 1430. 
About 1525 the monastery was made over to St. Jerome 
Emilian for his newly-founded order of the Somaschi, 
who still serve the church and have charge of an asylum 
for blind children, supported by the charity of Prince 
Torlonia. 

The view from the garden is strikingly beautiful. The 
monastery stands on the brow of the Aventine as it rises 
abruptly from the Tiber ; beneath, the languid river rolls 
its yellow flood past the Isola Tiberina and Ponte Rotto ; 
beyond, and to the right, is a confused mass of churches, 
palaces, towers, ancient houses and modern tenements 
belonging to the Holy City, that city lustrous with the 
blood of martyrs, now for so many years held captive by 
the usurper. In the distance towers the wonderful dome 
of Michael Angelo over the tomb of the Prince of the 
Apostles, with Monte Mario in the background. To the 
left is St. Paul's and the mysterious Campagna, ** stretch- 
ing like a sea into the dim horizon." How many saints 
have stood in this same spot gazing at the view, their 
hearts kindling with holy rapture at the sight of the City 
of God, which at the R.esurrection day will shine with a 
glory surpassing that of all other cities, because of the 
multitude of martyrs who have here shed their blood, and 
whose hallowed remains lie here enshrined. 

243. — STA. MARIA AVENTINA, OR DEL PRIORATO — 
S. ANSELMO. 

A few steps beyond S. Alessio brings us to the ancient 
convent of Sta. Maria Aventina (Sta. Maria del Priorato), 
belonging to the Knights of Malta. Visitors are admitted 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 297 

twice a week. (1) The views from the balconies over the 
city and campagna are enchanting. 

In 939 the renowned Albericus, the first Baron of Rome, 
transformed this, his noble dwelling, into a monastery for 
Basilian monks. St. Gregory VII (Hiidebrand, 1073- 
1085) here lived as a boy under the care of his uncle, who 
was abbot of the monastery. The garden is beautiful and 
attractive ; the church has been modernized and spoiled, 
and has little that is interesting except the ancient picture 
of our Lady and the tombs of the Knights of Malta. 

Close by is the new Benedictine monastery of S. An- 
selmo, erected in 1892-96 by the munificence of Pope 
Leo XIII. The buildings are vast and interesting. The 
splendid church has all the features of the old abbatial 
churches of the Order in Germany, and the crypt, with its 
many altars, dedicated to Benedictine saints, is in some 
sense more attractive than the church itself. 

244.— SANTA PRISCA ON THE AVENTINE. 

Returning to the head of the Clivus Publicius, we take 
the road leading to the ancient churches of S. Prisca and 
S. Saba. 

St. Prisca, a young girl of thirteen, of noble birth, is 
said to have been baptized by St. Peter on this spot, and 
was condemned by the Emperor Claudius to be exposed 
in the amphitheatre. A fierce lion was let loose upon her, 
but the savage beast, instead of tearing her to pieces, 
awed, as it were, by her innocence and youth, came and 
licked her feet. Such miracles the pagans ascribed to 
magic, and she was ordered to be beheaded. Her body 
lay concealed on the Aventine till discovered by Pope St. 
Eutychian in 280 and translated by him to this church. 
(Roman Brev., Jan. 18.) 

On the site of the present church stood the house of St. 
Prisca' s family, and close by lived Aquila and Priscilla, 
Jewish converts of St. Peter, who will be referred to 
presently. 0' 

(1) On Wednesdays and Saturdays. 



298 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

The church suffered greatly during the French occupa- 
tion of K,ome in 1798, and for many years lay a melancholy 
ruin. It was restored some fifty years ago, and is now- 
served by the Friars Minor. 

Under the high altar is the body of St. Prisca, which 
was removed for a time by St. Leo IV (847-855) to the 
Quattro Coronati for greater security. The nave is 
divided from the aisles by fourteen ancient columns partly 
encased in pilasters. On the walls are remains of frescoes 
by Fontebuono. In the crypt is preserved a baptismal 
font with the inscription Baptismum Sancti Petri. Tradi- 
tion has it that St. Prisca, SS. Aquila, Priscilla and 
others were here baptized by St. Peter. 

245. — ST. PETER IN THE HOUSE OF AQUILA AND 
PRISCILLA. 

Among those who were converted to Christianity by 
the preaching of the Apostle, were a Jew named Aquila 
and his wife Priscilla, who lived on the Aventine, close to 
the present church of S. Prisca. St. Peter is said to have 
received hospitality from them and to have first exercised 
the sacred ministry in K,ome in their house. (De Rossi, 
Arch. Crist, 1867, page 46 seq.) 

Aquila and Priscilla are honorably mentioned in the 
New Testament. They were working people and fol- 
lowed the trade of tent-making. When the Emperor 
Claudius drove the Jews out of Rome A.D. 49, they, too, 
had to leave the city. They retired to Corinth, where 
St. Paul was their guest and where, as in Rome, assem- 
blies of Christians were held in their house. (1) 

In 1776 were discovered the very walls of their house 
on the Aventine, close to S. Prisca, " the walls which 
probably echoed with the sound of St. Peter's voice, and 
were consecrated by his celebration of the Holy Mys- 
teries." (Lanciani.) 



(\) See Barnes Acts of Apostles, xviii, 2. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 299 

246.— ST. MARCELLA AND HER COMPANIONS ON THE 
AVENTINE. 

Marcella, a noble Christian lady, whom St. Jerome 
styles, ''the glory of Roman ladies," being left a widow 
by the death of her husband while still young, changed 
her palace, which stood in a fashionable quarter on the 
Aventine, into the first Christian convent in Rome, about 
A.D. 370. A small band of heroic souls, inspired like her- 
self to lead a life of perfection, came to join her in her re- 
ligious home. Like her they sold their jewels and costly 
brocaded dresses, giving the money to the poor, and 
donned the rough serge of the monks. Among the noble 
ladies who thus renounced the riches and pleasures of 
the world to lead a life of prayer, austerity and works of 
mercy, were All?ina,th.e mother of St. Marcella — St. Mar- 
cellina, sister of St. Ambrose, who had received the veil of 
virgins from the hands of Pope St. Liberius — St. Lea, a 
holy widow, the virgin Asella, and the penitent Fabiola, 
who expiated the errors of her impetuous youth by heroic 
charity and fervor. 

This little community enjoyed the special protection 
and encouragement of the saintly Pontiff, Pope Damasus, 
and the spiritual direction of St. Jerome, who addressed 
several of his letters to them. 

St. Paula, descendant of the Scipios and the Gracchi, 
came to the Aventine to confide her beloved daughter, St. 
Eustochium, to the charge of St. Marcella to be trained up 
as a true virgin of Christ. 

When the Goths led by Alaric plundered Rome, in 410, 
St. Marcella was seized because of her supposed wealth, 
and scourged by them for refusing to give up the treas- 
ures she no longer owned, all having been long since dis- 
tributed among the poor. Regardless of her own suffer- 
ings, she trembled only for her dear spiritual daughter, 
Principia, and falling at the feet of the cruel soldiers, she 
besought them with many tears not to offer any insult to 
that child. God moved the fierce northerners to compas- 
sion. They led Marcella and Principia to St. Paul's 



300 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

basilica, to which Alaric had granted the right of sanctu- 
ary with that of St. Peter ; but soon after Marcella sank 
under her sufferings . (See n. 115.) (1) 

247. — S. SABA, ON THE LOWER AVENTINE. 

Lanciani says : *' A visit to this delightful spot and to 
the secluded mediaeval cloisters, shaded by orange groves, 
cannot fail to please the student." 

But it has far greater attractions for the pilgrim. The 
venerable church, now disused, stands on the site of the 
ancient cella nova^ or oratory and religious home to which 
St. Sylvia, mother of St. Gregory the Great, retired after 
the death of her husband, Gordianus. 

Recent excavations (made in 1900) have brought to 
light the apse and walls of St. Sylvia's oratory, also some 
frescoes of the seventh century. 

In the sixth or seventh century it became the home of 
a community of Greek monks driven by persecution from 
their own country. St. Gregory, Bishop of Agrigen- 
tum, is said to have resided here for a time. 

Lucius II (1144-1145) gave the church, monastery 
and surrounding property to the Cluniac monks; Julius II 
(1503-1513) to the Cistercians ; finally Gregory XIII 
(1572-1585) made over the lands and revenues to the 
Collegio Germanico, for the support of the students, the 
Cistercmns receiving in compensation the basilica of Santa 
Croce. 



(1) Opposite the door of St. Prisca is the entrance to the Vigna 
Tor/onia, iormerly (i.e., till 1870), Vigna del Gesuiti, "the Jesuits' 
vineyard," where the Fathers and Scholastics of the ^oman College 
used to come for a little change and rest on Thursdays. A recent 
writer thus describes the spot: " It is a wild and beautiful vineyard 
occupying the greater part of this deserted hill, and extending as 
far as the Porta S. Paolo and the pyramid of Caius Cestius. Several 
farmhouses are scattered amongst the vines and fruit trees. There 
are beautiful views towards the Alban mountains, and to the lower 
Aventine with its fortress-like convents. The ground is littered 
with fragments of marbles and alabaster, which lie unheeded among 
the vegetables, relics of unknown edifices which once existed here. 
The spot till recently was beautiful, and overgrown by a luxuriance 
of wild mignonette and other flowers in the late spring." (Hare.) 




OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY, BY SASSOFERRATO, AT S. SABINA. 236. 



PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 301 

The present buildings were raised about A.D. 1200. 

The portico had formerly six columns of porphyry, 
which Pius VII removed to the Vatican library. An 
ancient sarcophagus remains in the portico near the spot 
where it was found. Several other marble sarcophagi 
have been recently discovered. Above the entrance is an 
inscription recording some marble inlaid work done by 
Magister Jacobus (1), for Abbot John in the pontificate of 
Innocent III, A.D. 1205. Some handsome mosaic panels 
on either side of the high altar are probably a portion of 
the work here referred to : they seem to have belonged 
to an enclosed choir with marble balustrade arid ambones, 
like the one of S. Clemente. 

The sanctuary was adorned with mosaics by Adrian I 
(772-795), but these have disappeared. The paintings 
on the vault of the apse are said to be a copy of the lost 
mosaics. Below are some rude frescoes of the fourteenth 
century. Over the altar in the crypt is a beautifully 
ornamented desk with a Greek cross in the centre. 

The nave has still considerable remains of its mosaic 
pavement. 

From the loggia above the vestibule of the church a 
splendid view is had of the Aventine, Palatine and south- 
western quarters of ancient K.ome. 

248.— ST. SYLVIA AND ST. GREGORY THE GREAT. 

It was stated at the visit to S. Gregorio on the Coelian, 
that his mother, St. Sylvia, used to send him a daily 
supply of vegetables from her garden at Cella Nova, i. e., 
S. Saba. These were carried in a silver dish. '* One 
day," writes Abbot Snow, ''while Gregory was in his 
cell, a shipwrecked merchant came to him with a pitable 
tale of distress, which extracted six scudi (silver crowns) 
from the saint. The next day he again appeared urging 
the greatness of his loss and liabilities, and the little help 
he could obtain in the city, and he again received six 
scudi. A third time he returned and dwelt upon the dis- 



(1) The father of Cosmas from whom the Cosimati School is named. 



302 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

grace of meeting his creditors without satisfying them. 
Gregory, with much sympathy for him, regretted that 
there was no more money in the monastery, and gave him 
the silver salver on which his mother sent him his daily 
pittance of vegetables." 

The rest of the story about St. Gregory entertaining an 
angel, who told him that he was the person to whom he 
had given the twelve scudi and the silver dish, has been 
related elsewhere. It will be remembered that the angel 
said: '^ From that day the Lord elected you to be the 
successor of St. Peter." 

The recent discovery of the remains of St. Sylvia's ora- 
tory adds greatly to the religious attractions of S. Saba, 
and pilgrims delight to linger in its ancient church and 
secluded cloisters, or to stray pensively in the garden 
among its orange groves. 

249. — STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGIO GERMANICO AT 
S. SABA. 

Once a week the grey walls and dim cloisters of this 
secluded retreat of the monks of old are enlivened by the 
sports and merry voices of the students of the Collegio 
Germanico. Their youth, their handsome appearance, 
their gay spirits, their soutanes of vivid scarlet, give a 
touch of joy and brightness to the old building, and the 
merry ring of their laughter awakens prolonged echoes 
in the vaulted corridors and chambers. All is life and 
animation while they are here ; but when they depart at 
the close of the day, the crumbling old edifice seems to 
relapse into its habitual dreamy state, left alone with its 
old-world traditions, its mediaeval monuments and its illus- 
trious dead. (1) 

250.— THE MONKS OF OLD : REFLECTIONS AT S. SABA. 

After visiting the homes, or what remains of the homes 
of the monks of old, it is well to reflect what these homes 
were, and who were these mediaeval monks, that are so 



(1) Close to S. Saba are considerable remains of the walls of Ser- 
vius Tullius and of the supposed Porta I(andusculana. 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 303 

often maligned by Protestant writers as 'Mazy," *' igno- 
rant," '' addicted to monkish superstition." (1) 

Each monastery in the middle ages was a seat of learn- 
ing and piety, a centre of light and industry, a place 
where the people could receive gratuitous instruction in 
every branch of learning then known ; a refuge where food 
and raiment were dealt out generously to the poor for the 
love of Jesus Christ. ''In times of sickness the afflicted 
were nursed and cared for ; in times of want and famine 
the poor were helped with doles of bread and corn ; and 
at all times the friendless and distressed found a kind, a 
loyal and a sympathetic friend, adviser and father in the 
abbot and his companions." (J. Vaughan). 

Each monastery served the purpose of university, hos- 
pital, alms-house, guest-house, church, all in one. Its 
buildings comprised besides the church, cloisters, cells, 
chapter house and other community rooms, a library, a 
scriptorium, apartments for guests, and farm hands. 

Within its hallowed walls the inmates strove to lead on 
earth an angelic life by cutting themselves off forever 
from the pleasures of riches, the enticements of the world, 
the allurements of sense, the satisfaction of their own will. 
They were men who had taken the three solemn vows of 
poverty, chastity and obedience, i.e., who had made a 
complete surrender of themselves to the service of God, 
and to the spiritual and temporal good of their neighbor. 

They were the pioneers of religion and civilization in 
countries still barbarous, men of simple lives, austere, 
mortified, intensely in earnest in seeking the glory of God 
and the extension of His kingdom. 

From the old grey walls of their monastic homes arose 
each midnight the voice of holy psalmody, sanctifying 
the loneliness of the night and perfuming the air with the 
fragrance of holy prayer. Such was S. Saba, such Val- 
lombrosa and Camaldoli, ancient monasteries of Italy, 
which the government has sacrilegiously usurped and 
converted into barracks, government offices or irreligious 
schools. 



(1) The monks were hard-working and learned. 



304 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

They themselves, as a rule, laid the foundations of 
their monasteries, quarried the stone, hauled it to its 
place, and with infinite pains and labor constructed the 
entire edifice from foundation to roof. They themselves 
carved the stalls, decorated the sanctuary, beautified it in 
every part, and set to work to reclaim and cultivate the 
waste land and to change the face of the country all 
round. 

Cardinal Newman says : '* They were not dreamy sen- 
timentalists to fall in love with purling brooks and nod- 
ding groves. Their poetry was the poetry of hard work 
and hard fare. They could plough and reap, they could 
hedge and ditch, they could drain, they could lop, they 
could carpenter, they could thatch and make hurdles for 
their huts ; they could make a road, they could divert or 
secure the streamlet's bed, they could bridge a torrent. 
They found a swamp, a moor, a thicket, a rock ; and 
they made an eden in the wilderness." 

Millman says : " They hewed down forests, cultivated 
swamps, enclosed domains, and retrieved or won for civ- 
ilization tracts which had fallen into waste, or had never 
known culture." 

Hallam says : " We owe the agricultural restoration of 
the great part of Europe to the monks." 

Forsyth adds : " The monks were much the best hus- 
bandmen and the only gardeners." 

Soame writes : ''Wherever they came they converted 
the wilderness into a cultivated country, they pursued the 
breeding of cattle and agriculture, labored with their own 
hands, drained morasses and cleared away forests." 

Guizot says : *' They were the agriculturists of Europe, 
they cleared it on a large scale, associating agriculture 
with preaching." The above testimonies, except that of 
Newman, are from Protestant writers. 

That the monks were not ignorant is proven by the 
treasures of the classical Hterature of Greece and Rome 
which were transmitted to us by them, and would other- 
wise have been lost. They copied with infinite pains the 
Bible and the best ancient literature. Their beautiful 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 305 

manuscripts remain even until now the treasures of the 
great museums, speaking witnesses of the monks who 
wrote them, and eloquent accusers of those Protestant 
historians who speak of the writers as ignorant and lazy. 

The elder D'Israeli says : '' It is certainly to the soli- 
tary monks that we owe the precious remains of ancient 
literature. We must consider their silent mansions as 
having afforded the only retreats to science and literature 
in ages when a universal ignorance threatened to banish 
from Europe every species of learning." 

Architecture, music, painting, astronomy, owe each a 
debt to the monks of old. The noble cathedrals of Eng- 
land, those poems in stone, which no modern architect 
even attempts to rival, are a sufficient proof of the clever- 
ness and skill of the monastic brethren. 

Prayer, silence, self-sacrifice, study, hard and continu- 
ous labor, such were the characteristics of their life, a life 
that was closed by a happy and peaceful death. Their 
names may now be unknown ; the chronicles of their 
monastery may have perished ; their remains may have 
long since crumbled into dust ; but those names forgotten 
by man are registered in the Book of Life, and those ser- 
vants of God, who toiled hard and suffered much here be- 
low, rest now from their labors, secure, blessed and at 
peace. The thought that hundreds of such devoted men 
lie buried within the precints of St. Saba makes us feel 
that we are treading on holy ground. 

Such are the reflections suggested by a visit to this 
ancient monastic home. 



CHAPTER XII. 

To THE Island in the Tiber and to S. Cecilia in 
Trastevere. 

Following the street Via diAra Cce/t that leads from the 
Gesu towards the Capitol, and turning up the second side 
street on the right ( Via Margana) we reach a small irreg- 
ular piazza with some ancient buildings, the remains of 
the mediaeval palace Margana. There is a richly sculp- 
tured gateway of the thirteenth or fourteenth century, and 
a low tower known as Torre del Melangolo, which has a 
religious interest all its own, for in a house close to this 
tower lived St. Ignatius of Loyola and his first compan- 
ions from the autumn of 1538 till February, 1541. (1) 

251.— RESIDENCE OF ST. IGNATIUS AND COMPANIONS 
NEAR THE TORRE DEL MELANGOLO. 

This was the third house occupied by the saint and his 
companions in Rome, the first of the two previous ones 
being on the Pincio (1537), the second in the Rione dei 
Monti, probably near the church of St. Bernardine of 
Sienna (1538). 

Father Simon Rodriguez, one of the saint's compan- 
ions, tells us that the house near the Torre del Melangolo 
had been for some time untenanted owing to a report that 
it was haunted ; for this reason the saint may have got it 
at a reduced rent. 

St. Francis Xavier in his letters mentions this Torre 
del Melangolo ; and Blessed Peter Faber writing to St. 
Ignatius from Germany in 1539, 1540, 1541, addresses his 
letters to *'the house of Marco Antonio Frangipane near 
the tower of Melangolo, Rome." 



(1) It is thought the house was in the Via Delfini just beyond 
the tower. An illustration of this tower will be found in the Mes- 
senger of September, 1899, p. 111. 
306 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 307 

Several important events happened during their stay in 
this house : (a) the saint said his first mass at St. Mary 
Major on Christmas night, 1538 ; (d) the deliberations on 
the rules and plan of life they were to adopt, which had 
lasted several months, were brought to a successful close 
on June 13, 1539 ; (c) during the famine of the severe win- 
ter of 1538-39, the Fathers relieved some four thousand 
persons ; (d) on September 3, 1529, Cardinal Contarini 
communicated the glad news to St. Ignatius tfiat His 
Holiness, Pope Paul HI, had approved by word of mouth 
the Formula of the Institute presented by the saint ; (e) 
St. Francis Xavier was observed by Father Simon Rod- 
riguez wrestling with temptation in his sleep till the blood 
gushed from his mouth ; (/) St. Francis Xavier received 
a Divine intimation of his future apostleship : (g) St. 
Francis Xavier bade farewell to St. Ignatius and the 
other Fathers on March 16, 1540, and went forth to his 
glorious apostleship in the Indies ; (k) on September 27, 
1540, Pope Paul III signed the bull I(egimini militantis 
Ecclesice by which the Society of Jesus was constituted a 
K,eligious Order. 

There was formerly a chapel of St. Ignatius in an 
upper room of this Torre del Melangolo, as it was long 
believed that that had been the saint's home. 

At the end of the Via Delfini, is the church of Sa. Cata- 
rina del Funari, with a home for young girls attached to 
it, one of the many great works of charity founded by St. 
Ignatius in Rome. 

252.— SANTA MARIA IN CAMPITELLI — PERPETUAL INTER- 
CESSION FOR THE CONVERSION OF ENGLAND. 

In the large square entered by the Via Delfini is the 
handsome church of Sa. Maria in Campitelli (1) also 

(1) The name Campitelli is supposed to come from Cafnpus teli, 
an enclosure near the spot where stood the Columna Bellica, from 
which, whenever war was declared, a dart was hurled into a neigh- 
boring field, supposed to represent the enemy's territory. Others 
think the Columna Bellica was near the Temple of Bellona on the 
road to Tivoli (Tibur) nine miles from I^ome. 



308 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

known as Sa. Maria in Portico, from the neighboring 
Portico of Octavia, which will be referred to pres- 
ently. 

The church was erected by the senate and municipality 
of I^ome in the years 1657-59, in fulfilment of a vow, 
made to our Lady for the cessation of the great pesti- 
lence of 1656. Close by, near the Piazza Montanara, is 
the little church of Sa. Galla, where a picture of our 
Lady, said to have appeared miraculously in 524 in the 
hospital founded by this saint, had been greatly venera- 
ted from the days of St. Gregory the Great. Tradition 
has it, that this was one of the pictures carried by St. 
Gregory's order in the great penitential procession during 
the pestilence of 590. It was again borne through the 
plague-stricken streets in 1656, the epidemic ceasing 
wherever it passed. On the completion of the new 
church in 1659, the sacred picture that had already been 
crowned by the Vatican chapter in 1650, was placed in 
its present position over the high altar, our Lady being 
here invoked as the protectress of Rome against conta- 
gious diseases. 

Architecturally the church is one of the best in Rome, 
if we except the greater basilicas. 

In the right transept is the tomb of Cardinal Pacca, the 
faithful attendant of Pope Pius VII in his exile, who died 
in 1844 in the palace opposite the church. 

It is interesting to note that the elder Pretender, known 
to his adherents as James III of England, established in 
this church in 1766 ** a perpetual intercession for the con- 
version of England'' The prayers are recited regularly 
every Saturday morning about 11 A.M., and are followed 
by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. James' second 
son, Henry, Cardinal Duke of York, took his title as Car- 
dinal from this church, and often came here with his 
father to pray for England's return to the faith. 

In the life of St. Frances of Rome it is stated that a 
boy of sixteen, named Jacopo Vincenzo, was lying dan- 
gerously ill in the Piazza Carnpitelli. His mother hast- 
ened to the saint, who bade her return, assuring her her 



PII.GRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 309 

son had recovered. That moment the boy was restored 
to perfect health. 

253. — S. AMBROGIO IN MASSIMA — HOUSE OF ST. 
AMBROSE. 

Near S. Maria in Campitelh are the church and ancient 
convent of St. Ambrose, built on the site of the saint's 
family mansion, in what was then one of the aristocratic 
quarters of I(ome, close to the Portico of Octavia. Here 
Ambrose, who lost his parents at an early age, lived with 
his brother, Satyrus, under the care of their elder sister, 
Marcellina. (1) While frequenting the Roman schools, 
Ambrose first displayed those wonderful intellectual gifts 
that were to distinguish him as one of the greatest lights 
of the Church. Being appointed governor of Liguria and 
Emilia, in the north of Italy, by Anicius Probus, he left 
for Milan about 370, being then some thirty years of age. 
His brother, Satyrus, seems to have accompanied him. 
Marcellina, who had received the religious veil from Pope 
St. Liberius on Christmas day, 352, distributed the great 
wealth she inherited to the poor, transformed her father's 
mansion into a convent, and lived here with a number of 
consecrated virgins in such poverty and privation that her 
brother had to write to her from Milan to moderate her 
austerities. She seems also to have been associated with 
those privileged souls on the Aventine, St. Marcella, 
Albina, Lea, Asella and St. Eustochium, the spiritual 
children of St. Jerome. 

The Italian government has seized the extensive con- 
ventual buildings and opened them as public schools, 
leaving only a few narrow rooms and corridors for the 
Benedictine Fathers who serve the church. In the part 
where the Fathers live two rooms are shown, said to have 
been those of St. Ambrose and St. Marcellina. In the 
latter room is preserved one of the greatest treasures of 



(1) Their father, also called Ambrose, had held high office as 
Prefect of the Praetorium, or head-governor of Gaul, Britain and 
Spain. 



310 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the Benedictine Order, an ancient fresco of our Lady and 
child, discovered in 1863, in the course of some alterations 
at S. Benedetto in Piscinula (see n. 258), and said to be 
the very picture before which St. Benedict used to pray 
as a student in Rome before his retreat to Subiaco. 

SHRINE OF ST. POLYCARP. 

The church, kept spotlessly clean, is rich in marbles 
(1), but its greatest treasure is the shrine of St. Polycarp, 
M. under the high altar. This great saint, one of the 
noblest figures in the early Church, was a disciple of St. 
John the Apostle, and was by him consecrated Bishop of 
Smyrna. He suffered martyrdom by fire and the sword 
at the age of eighty- six in the persecution of Marcus 
Aurelius, A.D. 166. His charred remains, ''more pre- 
cious than the richest jewels or gold," say the writers of 
the Acts, were secured by the Christians and deposited in 
a fitting place, at which the faithful assembled every 
year on the anniversary of his death. This saint, while 
on a visit to Rome, chanced to meet the apostate Marcion 
in the street, and was passing him seemingly without 
noticing him, when the heresiarch, accosting him, said, 
*' Don't you know me? " 

''Yes," replied the aged saint, "I know you for the 
first born .of Satan." These terrible words from a saint so 
noted for his charity and compassion to repentant sinners, 
show the horror he felt of apostasy and of the crime of 
heresy, whereby countless souls are dragged to perdition. 

254.— S. ANGELO IN PESCARIA— SHRINE OF ST. SYMPHO- 
ROSA AND HER SEVEN SONS, MM. 

A narrow street to the right of Sa. Maria in Campiteili 
leads down to the ancient church of S. Angela (St. 
Michael the Archangel), built by Pope Boniface II (530- 
532) within the ancient Portico of Octavia, close to the 
old fishmarket (Pescaria). 



(1) One of its marble altars formerly belonged to the old Jesuit 
church at Genoa. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 311 

The church contains the shrine of St. Symphorosa and 
her seven children, SS. Cresceus, Julian, Nemesius, 
Primitivus, Justin, Stacteus and Eugenius, who all suf- 
fered a cruel martyrdom at Tivoli in the persecution of 
Hadrian, about A.D. 130. Her husband, St. Getulius 
(also called Zoticus) and his brother, St. Amantius, both 
tribunes in the army, had already won the crown of mar- 
tyrdom some time previously. The bodies of St. Sym- 
phorosa and her children were taken by the Christians 
along the Via Tiburtina {i.e., the road to Tivoli), and 
buried close to the ninth milestone in the cemetery of St. 
Zoticus, afterwards known dis Ad Septem Fratres. Here 
a basilica was erected, the remains of which were discov- 
ered and identified by De Rossi, in 1876. In the year 752, 
the bodies of the saints were translated by Pope Stephen 
n to this church of S. Angelo, as it was rumored that 
the Lombard King, Astulfus (by whom Rome was be- 
sieged and its catacombs plundered), meant to seize and 
carry them off. 

In the course of some alterations in the sanctuary in 
the seventeenth century, a sarcophagus was found, and 
inside it the relics of the martyrs with the following in- 
scription on a leaden plate copied by Cardinal Baronius : 
Hie requiescunt corpora SS. Martyrum Simforosae, viri sui 
Zotici (Getulii) et Filiorum ejus a Stephano Papa trans lata. 

In this church Fr. Simon Rodriguez, one of the first 
companions of St. Ignatius, preached a course of Lenten 
sermons in 1538. 

The arch at the entrance of the church is associated 
with a dramatic episode in the life of Cola di Rienzi, 
Tribune of the people, who here summoned the people at 
midnight on May 20, 1347, and by his fiery eloquence 
incited them to revolt against the tyranny of the Roman 
barons. 

THE PORTICO OF OCTAVIA. 

The picturesque ruins enclosing the church of S. Angelo 
are the remains of the splendid Portions Octavice, origin- 
ally built by Q. Coecilius Metellus, about 147, B.C., and 



312 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

rebuilt on a scale of great magnificence by Augustus, in 
honor of his sister, Octavia, in the year 32. It was in 
the form of a parallelogram, surrounded by a double 
arcade of two hundred and seventy columns, and enclos- 
ing the temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno I^egina. The 
architects employed by Augustus were two Greeks named 
Batrachos and Sauros. Pliny says that, as they were 
denied the privilege of signing their work with their 
names, they hit upon the device of carving on the fluting 
of the columns a lizard (Sauros; and a frog (Batrachos). (1) 
One such column with a lizard and a frog carved on the 
capital may be seen in the church of S. Lorenzo outside 
the walls. 

In this portico, Titus and Vespasian celebrated their 
triumph after the fall of Jerusalem. The Jewish historian, 
Flavins Josephus was among the spectators and has left 
us a description of the scene, which was of unparalleled 
splendor. 

The old fish market {Pescaria) with its marble fish- 
slabs of imperial times was demolished in 1888. The 
neighborhood is squalid in the extreme, yet there is a 
picturesqueness in the old ruins, the dark many storied 
houses, the groups of dirty yet merry children playing 
amid the columns, the swarthy figures of Jews carrying 
bundles of clothes and drapery, touches of color being 
added to the scene by strips of old damask hanging in 
front of the rag stores or dangling from the windows. 

255.— THE FORMER GPIETTO— THE JEWS IN ROME. 

On the vacant ground in front of the portico of Octavia 
stood, till 1885, a confused mass of old, rickety tumble- 
down buildings divided by narrow streets, and enclosed 
by a boundary wall, having an entrance gate near the 
Ponte Fabricio. This was the famous Ghetto, or Jewish 
quarter in Rome, that has been so often described, and of 
which not a vestige is now left. Driven from their old 
squalid tenements, the Jews at once formed a new settle- 



Cl) Lanciani. J^tdns, etc., p. 471. 



^^W' 




<*. 



f. 






TOKKE Di£L MELANGOLO, NEAR WHICH SS. IGNATIUS AND 
FRANCIS XAVIER LIVED. 251. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 313 

ment in the dingy houses round S. Angelo, and in the 
pretentious buildings of the piazza, Vittorio Emmanuele. 
These latter were built for more respectable tenants, but 
failed to attract them, and are now fast becoming a second 
Ghetto. 

As we make our way to the Ponte Fabricio, leading to 
the island in the Tiber, we pass in front of the Jewish 
rag shops and marine stores, where men and women pass 
in frowzy dress, with tangled hair, yellow brown faces, 
haggard and often repulsive features, sit amid a chaos of 
rags, shreds, patches of cloth, coils of ropes, heaps of old 
iron, scraps of silk brocade, bits of velvet, rubbish of 
every kind, busy sorting, mending, patching, renewing, 
turning all this refuse into money. In some of their 
stores, especially near Ponte S. Angelo, may be found 
copes, chasubles, relic cases and even chalices, bought at 
public sales, when the government have put up the goods 
of monasteri«es and convents to auction, and Jews were 
the only purchasers. 

Close by, near where the entrance of the old Ghetto 
stood, a new synagogue has recently been erected. 

The little church of Madonna della Pieta, near the Ponte 
Quattro Capi {i.e., Pons Fabricius), is interesting, as being 
a remnant of a mediaeval monastery, built on the site of a 
palace belonging to the family of St. Gregory the Great. 

256. — THE RIVER TIBER — FALL OF THE EMBANK- 
MENT. 

The tawny river, whose waters sweep round the island 
before us, and quit the city below the Aventine, has a 
special religious interest from the many martyrs, whose 
bodies have been cast into it, chief among them being SS. 
Nicomedes, Calepodius, Pigmenius, Quirinus, Florianus, 
Tranquillinus and Asterius. Their remains drifting down 
the stream were recovered by the Christians and buried 
in the neighboring catacombs. 

The river is capricious and at times ungovernable : 
after continued rains its turbid waters suddenly swell to 



314 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

considerable height causing disastrous floods. Its aver- 
age depth is twenty feet, but it sometimes rises as much 
as thirty to thirty-five feet, as in the great inundation of 
1871. 

To check these wanton freaks, the Italian government 
of Victor Emmanuel decided, after the disaster of 1871, to 
construct the present embankments. These huge retain- 
ing walls, resembhng more the quays of a dock than river 
defences against inundation, took some ten years to build 
and cost, it is said, over 100,000,000 francs. (1) The 
effect has been to rob the river of its beautiful aspect. 
"The huge walls, between which we have imprisoned 
the stream, have transformed it into a deep and unsightly 
channel, with nothing to relieve the monotony of its 
banks." (Lanciani). 

In November, 1900, a few days before this ''triumph 
of engineering skill" was finished, the Minister of Public 
Works boasted that the daring enterprise had been com- 
pleted with extreine solidity of execution, that it had stood 
the test and was a triumphal success. A boasted epigraph 
was written, destined for the walls, stating that what the 
Papal government had failed to accomplish, that the 
Italian government had achieved. Suddenly the river 
rose after several days' rain, and chafing at the restraint 
of the new- embankment, sent some four hundred feet of 
the structure tumbling headlong in ruin into the water 
near the island before us. At the same time ominous 
cracks appeared in the other parts of the embankment, and 
in the new Ponte Margherita, which, it is feared, bode 
fresh disasters, unless means are found to remedy the 
defect. 

The little Ponte Cestio (Pons Cestius), built in the year 
46 B.C., and rebuilt in A.D. 365, has stood the floods of 
over 1,537 years, and stands solid as ever in scornful 
contrast with the fallen embankment, colossal in size and 
colossal in ruin. 



(1) See Lanciani. J^uins, etc., p. 11, says the cost was 200,000,000 
francs. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 315 

Crossing the Ponte Quattro Capi (Pons Fabricius), built 
in the year 62 B.C., we reach the island in the Tiber, which, 
in ancient times, was made to assume the appearance of a 
huge ship, having on its deck a temple dedicated to ^scu- 
lapius. (1) Lanciani remarks : *' The river, unfortunately, 
no longer flows under this most perfect of K.oman bridges ' ' 
(the Pons Fabricius). *' By a miscalculation in the plan 
of this new embankment, the channel had been dried up, 
and the ship of ^sculapius had stranded on a mud bank." 
{Ruins of Ancient Rome, p. 18). This has been remedied 
by recent works. 

257. — HOLY PLACES ON THE ISLAND OF THE TIBER. 

The part of the island where stood the ancient temple 
of ^sculapius, is now occupied by the Church and Fran- 
ciscan monastery of 5. Bartolomeo. The church was 
built by the Emperor Otho III, about the year 983, to 
receive the body of the apostle, St. Bartholomew, trans- 
lated from Lipari to Benevento, in 809, and from Bene- 
vento to Rome, in 983. The campanile or bell-tower is 
of later date, being erected by Paschal III, in 1113. 

The Franciscan monastery has been seized by the gov- 
ernment, and divided into small tenant houses, a narrow 
strip being left to the friars. 

In 1557, a great rising of the Tiber carried away the 
right aisle and the front of the church, which disasters 
were repaired by Cardinal Sartorio, in 1560. 

The principal objects in the interior that invite attention 
are : 

(a) The Shrine of St. Bartholomew, — a beautiful urn of 
porphyry, containing his body under the high altar. 

{b) The Shrine of St. Paulinus of Nola, under the altar 
at the end of the right aisle. 

(c) The Shrine of St. Adalbertus, Bishop and Martyr. 

{d) The head of an ancient well with bas-reliefs of the 



(1) A fragment of the stone bulwark of the stern may still be seen 
in the garden of the Franciscan Friars. 



316 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

twelfth century, on the steps in front of the high altar. 
In it were concealed the bodies of SS. Paulinus, Exsu- 
perantius, Marcellinus, martyrs. 

(e) Paintings by A. Caracci in the chapel of St. Charles 
Borromeo, the second in the right aisle. 

The high altar had formerly a baldacchino resting on 
four columns of porphyry ; these were taken to the Vati- 
can in 1829. The pillar in the piazza in front of the 
church was erected by Pope Pius IX, as a memorial of 
the opening of the Vatican Council. 

HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN THE CALYBITE. 

Opposite S. Bartolomeo is the hospital of the K^eligious 
of St. John of God, known as Fate bene fratelli. (1) They 
devote themselves entirely to the care of the sick poor, 
some 1,200 of whom pass through the hospital in the 
course of a year, besides countless cases relieved in the 
reception rooms. They owe this, their only establish- 
ment in K.ome, to St. Pius V. In the great triumphal en- 
trance of Don John of Austria into Rome, after the victory 
of Lepanto, in 1571, the conqueror was accompanied by a 
poor religious in a plain, black dress. This was Sebastian 
Arias of the Brothers of St. John of God. Being recom- 
mended to the Pope by Don John, the rule of the new 
order was approved, and this monastery given to them on 
the island. 

The church is dedicated to St. John the Calybite, a re- 
cluse of the fifth century, whose history resembles that of 
St. Alexius. The son of a rich nobleman of Constanti- 
nople, he secretly left his home to become a monk. K.e- 
turning after six years disguised as a beggar, he dwelt in 
a poor hut (Calube) near his father's house, and only dis- 
closed his identity to his mother when he lay in his agony. 
His death occurred in 450 ; his remains translated to 
Rome have been here venerated for many centuries. 



(1) The holy founder was constantly exhorting his brethren to do 
everything well for God: '* Fate bene fratelli." 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 317 

258. — TRASTEVERE — S. BENEDETTO IN PISCINULA. 

Crossing the ancient Ponte Cestio, from which we have 
a view of the fallen embankmant, we enter the Trastevere ^ 
or city '* across the Tiber." 

It is *' the portion of K,ome which, till 1886, was most 
unaltered from mediaeval times, and whose narrow streets 
are still overlooked by many ancient towers, gothic win- 
dows and curious fragments of sculpture. The inhabit- 
ants on this side differ in many respects from those on the 
other side of the Tiber. They pride themselves upon 
being born * Trasteverini,' profess to be the direct decend- 
ants of the ancient Romans, seldom intermarry with their 
neighbors, and speak a dialect peculiarly their own " 
(Aug. Hare). With many faults they are devoted Cath- 
olics and loyal to the Holy See. Unfortunately, the 
Methodists, Baptists and Socialists are doing their utmost 
to sap the faith of this simple people, and much harm is 
being done. 

Right opposite us, as we leave the bridge and cross the 
Via Lungara, is the little church of 5. Benedetto in Pis- 
cinula, built on the site of the house where St. Benedict 
lived as a hoy , while pursuing his studies in Rome, before 
his retreat to Subiaco. Formerly the church had an 
atrium or open court, but this has been demolished since 
1870. The vaulted chapel is still shown where the boy- 
saint used to pray, and the room where he studied. 
During some alterations, in 1863, the fresco of Our Lady 
and the Divine Child, before which the saint often knelt, 
was discovered and transferred to S. Ambrogio. (See 
n. 253). The church has a beautiful mosaic pavement, 
and over the high altar is an ancient portrait of the saint, 
thought to be authentic. 

The great founder of Western Monasticism was born at 
Norica, in Umbria, about A.D. 480, of a distinguished 
family, his father's name being Eutropius. Sent by his 
parents to Rome to study in the public schools, his inno- 
cence took alarm at the behavior of his companions, and 
at the age of thirteen he fled from the world, not to be 



318 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

entangled in its snares. He became the founder of a great 
monastic order, which, in a single century, covered 
Europe from IRome to Britain and from the Danube to the 
plains of Castile with religious houses, and which, in its 
long history of fourteen centuries, has filled the Church's 
calendar with saints. 

From the river bank on the Trastevere side, looking 
towards the Aventine, of which we have here a splendid 
view, the fragment of a bridge will be noticed in the river 
a little below the island. This is the Ponte Rotto, or all 
that remains of the Pons JEmiliuSy built originally in the 
year 181 B.C. to replace the ancient Suhlician bridge. 
** Owing to its slanting position across the river and to 
the side pressure of the floods against its piers, it has been 
carried away at least four times, viz., in A.D. 180, 1230, 
1557 and 1598. After this fourth disaster it was never 
repaired. There is but one arch left now in midstream, 
the other two on the right having been destroyed in 1887." 
(Lanciani.) 

Opposite this bridge, on the Trastevere side, a narrow 
street, Via del Vascellariy leads to Santa Cecilia. 

259. — PONZIANO PALACE, THE HOME OF ST. FRANCES 
OF ROME. 

A little way up this street, on the right-hand side, 
stands a plain-looking building, the Casa degli Esercizii 
Pit, or house of retreats for young men of the city, which 
claims more than a passing notice ; for this was in medi- 
aeval times the stately Ponziano Palace, the home of good 
St. Frances of Rome. Here she lived from the time of 
her marriage to Lorenzo Ponziano till her entrance into 
the convent of Tor dei Specchi, soon after her husband's 
death, A.D 1436. 

Lady G. Fullerton, in her life of the saint, thus de- 
scribes the building: *' Over the Casa degli Esercizii Pii 
the sweet spirit of Francesca seems still to preside. On 
the day of the festival its rooms are thrown open, every 
memorial of the gentle saint is exhibited, lights burn on 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 319 

numerous altars, flowers deck the passages, leaves are 
strewn in the chapel, on the stairs, in the entrance court ; 
gay carpets, figured tapestry and crimson silks hang over 
the door, and the crowds of people go in and out, and 
kneel before the relics or the pictures of the dear saint of 
Rome. It is a touching festival, which carries back the 
mind to the day when the young bride of Lorenzo Pon- 
ziano entered these walls for the first time, in all the 
sacred beauty of holiness and youth." 

What wonderful things are related as having happened 
in this house ! We read of Satan entering the Ponziano 
Palace under the aspect of a venerable hermit, emaciated 
by fasts and watchings ; of Frances' horror of the fiend 
whom she ordered to be driven away, though the inmates 
of the house thought he was a real hermit ; of Satan's 
persecution of Frances and her holy sister-in-law, Van- 
nozza ; of the miraculous multiplication of flour and wine 
to relieve the poor in times of distress ; of the trials of the 
family during the political troubles of the time when 
Lorenzo was imprisoned and the palace dismantled, only 
the lower rooms being left intact, which Frances con- 
verted into a hospital ; of the apparition after death of 
Frances' child, Evangelista, accompanied by an archangel 
who was to be the saint's constant and visible guardian 
till death. 

In this same palace Frances breathed her last on March 
9, 1440. Her dying words were an exhortation to brotherly 
love. *'Love one another and be faithful unto death." 
On the seventh day of her illness, as she herself had an- 
nounced, her life came to a close. A sublime expression 
animated her face, a more ethereal beauty clothed her 
earthly form. Her confessor for the last time inquired 
what it was her enraptured eyes beheld, and she answered, 
*' The heavens open ! The angels descend ! The angel 
has finished his task. He stands before me. He beckons 
me to follow him." These were her last words. "A 
smile of indescribable brightness lights her face, her eyes 
close, and her spirit takes its final leave of earth." (Lady 
G. FuUerton.) 



3^ PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

259<^. — ST. FRANCES OF ROME AND THE ARCHANGEL. 

On the sacristy floor of S. Cecilia is a marble slab with 
the inscription : 

Evangelista Ponziano. (^t. S.ann.) 
Agnese Ponziano. (^t. 7.ann.) 

These were St. Frances' children baptized in this church, 
and after a few short years here laid to rest. 

About a year after his death, which occurred in 1412, 
Evangelista appeared to his mother, his features trans- 
formed and beaming with ineffable splendor. He told her 
his abode was with God, his companions were the angels, 
his peace and joy such as no words could express. By 
his side was another of the same size and height as him- 
self, but more beautiful still. Evangelista said : ''This, 
my companion, is higher than I am in rank, as he is 
brighter and more beautiful. God has assigned him as 
your guardian during the remainder of your earthly pil- 
grimage. Night and day by your side he will assist you 
in every way." He proceeded to tell his mother that 
another great sacrifice was required of her, that Agnes' 
place was prepared in heaven and that God would soon 
call her away. He then disappeared, but the Angel re- 
mained, and to the day of Frances' death was ever present 
to her sight, though invisible to others. The radiance 
that surrounded him was so dazzling that she could sel- 
dom look upon him with a fixed glance. She told her 
confessor, Don Antonio, that his stature was that of a child 
about nine years old, his aspect full of sweetness and 
majesty, his eyes generally turned towards heaven, and 
that no words could describe the beauty of that gaze. 
" His brow is always serene, his glances kindle in the 
soul the flame of ardent devotion. When I look upon 
him, I understand the glory of the angelic nature and the 
degraded condition of our own. He wears a long shining 
robe, and over it a tunic, either as white as the lilies of 
the field, or of the color of a red rose, or of the hue of the 
sky when it is intensely blue. When he walks by my 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 321 

side his feet are never soiled by the mud of the streets or 
the dust of the road. The rays of light which dart from 
his brow send the demons howling away." 

This divine favor, so far from exalting her in her own 
eyes, only served to make her more humble, for in the 
presence of an angelic companion she realized, as never 
before, the baseness and corruption of our fallen nature. 

Sa. Maria in Cappella. 

Nearly opposite the Ponziano Palace a narrow lane 
leads to a tiny church, Sa. Maria in Cappella, dating from 
1090, and well worth visiting. Attached to it is a hospi- 
tal for incurables, under the care of Sisters of Charity. 
The Ponziano family were benefactors of this institution, 
which was the one most visited by St. Frances, and where 
she wrought many miracles by the laying on of her hands. 

260.— SANTA CECILIA IN TRASTEVERE. 

St. Frances and her friend, Vannozza, assisted every 
morning at Mass in this church and communicated daily, 
a practice then seldom granted. A certain priest, think- 
ing that women of their age and rank could not be in the 
necessary dispositions for daily communion, one day gave 
an unconsecrated particle to S, Frances. God instantly 
revealed to her the sin of the priest, and she told her con- 
fessor, Don Antonio, who severely admonished him. It 
was little Evangelista's delight to be carried by his mother 
to this church. 

As this is one of K.ome's most venerable sanctuaries, it 
claims special notice. 

Originally the family mansion of St. Cecilia, it was con- 
verted into a church by St. Urban in 230, in accordance 
with her dying request. Pope Paschal I restored it in 
821, and Cardinals Sfondrati and Aquaviva modernized 
it in 1725, robbing it of much of its ancient impressive 
character. The approach is by a spacious courtyard, on 
the right of which is a large marble cantharus, or vase, 
belonging probably to the original palace. The bell tower 
dates from 1120. 



322 PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Within the church, on the right as you enter, is the 
tomb of Cardinal Adam, of Hertford, administrator of the 
diocese of London, who died in 1398. The correspond- 
ing tomb on the other side is that of Cardinal Fortiguerra, 
who died in 1473. The delicate carving of the drapery 
should be noticed. 

The Blessed Sacrament is usually reserved in the first 
chapel of the right aisle. Next to this is the Caldarium, 
or bath room, where St. Cecilia was martyred, with the 
original pipes along the wall for conveying steam from 
the boiler. The marble slab on the altar is the one on 
which she was struck by the executioner, and above it is 
an exquisite painting of her martyrdom, by Guido Reni. 
On the opposite wall a striking picture, by Domenichino, 
represents an angel crowning Cecilia and her young 
spouse. Valerian. 

The present sacristy, close to the place of martyrdom, 
was formerly the chapel of the Ponziano family, which 
explains why St. Frances' two children, Evangelista and 
Agnese, were buried there. 

The high altar has a beautiful canopy, the v/ork of 
Arnolfo del Cambio (1283), with columns of pavonazzetto. 
Beneath is an admirable recumbent figure of St. Cecilia, 
executed in white marble by Stefano Maderno. The 
saint is represented in the very posture in which her body 
was found, when the shrine was opened by Cardinal 
Sfondrati, in 1599. (See below, under f.) 

The Tribune behind the high altar has some ancient 
mosaics of the ninth century, with figures of our Blessed 
Lord, SS. Peter, Paul, Caecilia, Valerian, Agatha and 
Pope Paschal L (1) 



(a) St. Ceciliay Virgin and Martyr. 

She was a maiden of noble blood, born of parents of 
senatorial rank, and was brought up a Christian from her 
infancy, having probably a Christian mother. Her father 



(1) The Pope is represented with a square nimbus, showing that 
he was still alive when the work was made. 



PIIvGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 32^ 

must have been a pagan, for he gave her m marriage to a 
young patrician of very amiable and excellent disposi- 
tions, but a pagan, named Valerian. 

The conversion of Valerian and his baptism by St. Ur- 
ban, in the Catacombs of S. Callisto, have been related 
above. (187.) 

(b) Vision of the Angel. 

Valerian, returning in the white robe of his baptism, 
and entering Cecilia's apartments to communicate to her 
the joy of his new-found faith, drew back astonished, 
awed by the bright light that streamed from her oratory 
as the curtain was drawn aside. There was Cecilia kneel- 
ing in prayer, and by her side an angel, whose face shone 
with ineffable beauty. Valerian, overcome with emotion, 
came and knelt on one side, Cecilia kneeling on the other, 
while the angel held forth two crowns of lilies twined with 
roses over the head of each. This is the subject of Do- 
menichino's picture. 

(c) Martyrdom of SS. Valerian, Tiburtius, Maximus. 

Valerian's brother, Tiburtius, was instructed and bap- 
tized soon after him. These two were presently mar- 
tyred for refusing to offer sacrifice to the gods, and 
Maximus, the officer who presided at the execution, was 
so moved by their constancy, that he was brought to the 
faith and received the crown of martyrdom with them. 
They were all buried in the Catacomb of Praetextatus, 
but their bodies were afterwards translated to S. Cecilia. 

(d) Martyrdom of St. Cecilia, A . D. 230. 

Cecilia alone remained, and as Almachius, the judge, 
thought it best that her punishment should be as secret 
as possible, he ordered that she should be shut up in the 
Caldarium, or room of the warm bath in her own palace, 
and that the pipes with which the walls on all sides were 
perforated, should be heated to such a degree as to cause 
suffocation. Cecilia entered the room, the furnace being 
heated, and though she remained there for a whole day 



324 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

and night, she was found to be unhurt by the hot 
steam that scalded those who opened the door. Alma- 
chius then sent one of the Uctors with orders to strike off 
her head. Three times did the axe fall upon her tender 
neck, inflicting deep and mortal wounds, but without 
severing the head. As the law did not allow more than 
three strokes to be given, the executioner went away, 
leaving her still breathing and bathed in her own blood. 
The faithful of her house and neighborhood then flocked 
into the room to receive the last breath of the dying mar- 
tyr. For two days and nights she continued hovering 
between life and death ; and on the third morning the 
venerable Bishop Urban came to take leave of his beloved 
daughter. Her dying request to him was, that the poor 
she had always loved should be cared for, and that her 
house should be made a church forever. Soon after she 
breathed forth her pure spirit to God. That same even- 
ing her body was placed in a coffin of cypress wood, just 
in the attitude in which she had died ; and Urban and his 
deacons bore it out of the city to the cemetery of St. Cal- 
lixtus and there buried her in a chamber near the crypt 
of the Popes. (Northcote, Roma Sotter. p. 153. Surius, 
Vits SS. 22 Nov.) 

(e) Translation of her body in A. D. 821. 

Pope Paschal I succeeded to the See of Peter in Janu- 
ary, A.D. 817, and in the following July he translated 
into different churches in the city the relics of 2,300 mar- 
tyrs from the various catacombs, which at that time were 
lying in a deplorable state of ruin. He wished, also, to 
remove the relics of St. Cecilia, but could not discover 
her tomb ; so at length he reluctantly acquiesced in the 
report that her body had been carried off by Astulfus, 
the Lombard king, by whom Rome had been besieged 
and the cemeteries plundered. Some four years after- 
wards, however, St. Cecilia appeared to him in a dream 
or vision — it is Paschal himself who tells the story — and 
told him where her body lay near the crypt of the Popes. 
In consequence of this vision he returned to the search, 




o 5 

m 

W 

o 
< 



PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 325 

and found the body where he had been told. It was 
fresh and perfect as when it was first laid in the tomb, and 
clad in rich garments mixed with gold, with linen cloths 
stained with blood rolled up at her feet, lying in a cypress 
coffin. 

Paschal himself tells us that he lined the coffin with 
fringed silk, spread over the body a cover of silk gauze, 
and then, placing it within a sarcophagus of white mar- 
ble, deposited it under the high altar of the church of S. 
Cecilia in Trastevere. (Northcote. Ibid., p. 155.) 

(f) The Body Found Incorrupt in A. D. 1599. 

Nearly eight hundred years afterwards. Cardinal Sfon- 
drati, of the title of S. Cecilia, made considerable altera- 
tions in the church, and in course of his excavations in 
the sanctuary he came upon a wide vault beneath the 
altar. Two marble sarcophagi met his eyes. Trust- 
worthy witnesses had already been summoned, and in 
their presence one of these sarcophagi was opened. It 
was found to contain a coffin of cypress wood. The 
Cardinal himself drew back the coffin-lid. First appeared 
the precious lining and silk gauze with which Paschal had 
covered the body nearly eight centuries before. Its color 
had faded, but the fabric was still entire, and through its 
transparent folds could be seen the shining gold of the 
robes in which the martyr was clothed. After pausing a 
few moments the Cardinal gently removed this silken 
covering, and the virgin form of St. Cecilia appeared in the 
very same attitude in which she had breathed her last on 
the pavement of the house, and which neither Urban nor 
Paschal had ventured to disturb. She lay clothed in her 
robes of golden tissue, on which were still visible the 
glorious stains of her blood, and at her feet were the linen 
cloths mentioned by Paschal. Lying on her right side, 
with her arms extended in front of her body, she looked 
like one in deep sleep. The head was turned downwards, 
the knees were slightly bent. The body was perfectly 
incorrupt, and by a special miracle retained, after more 
than thirteen hundred years, all its grace and modesty, 



326 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

and recalled, with the most truthful exactness, Cecilia 
breathing forth her soul on the pavement of the bath. 
(Northcote. Ibid., p. 156.) 

Pope Clement VIII, at that time sick at Frascati, de- 
puted Cardinal Baronius to make a careful examination 
of the precious remains, and both he and Bosio have left 
accounts of what they witnessed. All Rome came to see 
the virgin martyr, whose body lay exposed for venera- 
tion for the space of four or five weeks ; and when the 
tomb was again closed, on St. Cecilia's day, 1599, the 
Pope himself sang the Mass. Cardinal Sfondrati erected 
the beautiful high altar which now stands over the saint's 
tomb, and beneath it he placed an exquisite statue by 
Maderno, the foremost sculptor of the day, who had fre- 
quently seen the body, and made an exact copy of it in 
the very posture in which it lay. [Ibid.) 

(g) Restoration of the Crypt Chipel, 1900-1901. 

Extensive restorations in the crypt and church were 
undertaken by Cardinal Rampolla, of the title of St. 
CeciHa, in 1899-1900, the result being that the crypt con- 
taining the body of St. Cecilia and of SS. Valerian, Tibur- 
tius and Maximus, has been considerably enlarged and 
richly decorated. The alterations involved the removal of 
the bodies of the saints to the new altar erected for them. 
In the process the rich silver casket, weighing over four 
hundred pounds, containing the body of St. Cecilia, was 
uncovered. The Cardinal, with his own hand, wiped oflf 
the stains on the silver and wrapped the casket, without 
opening it, in precious stuffs, previous to its removal to 
the new shrine. 

In the course of the excavations in the crypt the remains 
of the house of the saint were found beneath the nave of 
the present basilica. The tesselated pavement is well 
preserved in some of the rooms, and many valuable frag- 
ments of sculpture found in the ruins may be seen on the 
walls. 

St. Cecilia, from her assiduity in singing the divine 
praises, in which, according to her acts, she often joined 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 327 

instrumental music with vocal, is regarded as patroness 
of church music. (Alban Butler, Nov. 22.) 

THE HOSPITAL OF S. MICHELE. 

The immense building just beyond St. Cecilia, with its 
front facing the river, is the hospital of S. Michele, 
founded in 1693, by Cardinal Odescalchi, nephew of 
Innocent XI, as a refuge for poor children, who are here 
brought up and taught a trade. Interesting information 
on the countless charitable institutions of Rome under 
Papal rule, will be found in Morichini. Degli Istituti di 
Carita, 1870. 

Turning up the first side street on the right after we 
leave St. Cecilia, the one at the end of which is the church 
of Sa. Maria dell' Orto, we presently reach a Franciscan 
Church, that is associated with memories of St. Francis 
of Assisi's stay in Rome. 

261. — S. FRANCESCO A RIPA. (1) 

During his third visit to the Eternal City, in 1212, St. 
Francis made the acquaintance of a pious widow, Giaco- 
mina de' Settisoli, of noble family, who devoted herself 
to work of charity, and gave hospitality to poor pilgrims. 
It was owing to her intervention that the Benedictines of 
St. Cosmas beyond the Tiber ceded to the Friars Minor, 
in 1229, the hospital of St. Blaise (S. Biagio), now the 
convent of S. Francesco a Ripa. St. Francis frequently 
came to serve and console the sick in this hospital, and 
at their request, that they might have him near them day 
and night, a cell was provided for him, which he shared 
with a companion friar. 

The church was rebuilt in 1229 by Rodolfo, Count of 
Anguillara, the tower of whose castle may still be seen 
opposite S. Crisogono ; and was restored about 1684 by 
Cardinal Pallavicini. 

St. Bridget of Sweden, who had a great devotion to 
St. Francis, once visited this church on this feast, Octo- 



(1) So called from its proximity to the Tiber-bank. 



328 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

ber 4, 1354, when the saint appeared to her and invited her 
to visit his cell near the Portinncula. Shortly afterwards 
she set out on a pilgrimage to Assisi, with her daughter 
St. Catherine. 

I^oom of St. Francis of Assisi. 

The room the saint occupied may be seen on applica- 
tion to the sacristan. Above the altar is a portrait of 
the saint made in his lifetime by Giacomo de' Settisoli. 
In a niche on the right, protected hy an iron grating, is the 
stone that served him for a pillow. By an ingenious con- 
trivance, the pillars and panels of the altar are made to 
revolve by turning a handle, disclosing a collection of 
valuable relics. The cell contains several memorials of 
Blessed Carlo da Sezze, a Franciscan, who died in this 
convent. 

The convent buildings and garden have been appropri- 
ated by the present government and converted into bar- 
racks and a drill ground. 

262. — 3. CRISOGONO. 

Close to St. Francesco are the ancient church and con- 
vent of St. Cosimato (SS. Cosmas and Damian) with a 
picturesque courtyard. On the left of the high altar is a 
beautiful fresco by Pinturicchio, representing Our Lady 
and the Holy Child with St. Francis and St. Clare. 

A short distance off is the church of 5. Cnsogono (St. 
Chrysogonus, Martyr), mentioned in the acts of a council 
held by Pope St. Symmachus in the sixth century, and 
by St. Gregory the Great, in one of his letters. It was 
rebuilt by Gregory III in 740 and restored by Cardinal 
Scipio Borghese, in 1623. The baldacchino of the high 
altar rests on four columns of a rare kind of alabaster, 
and the chancel arch is supported by two splendid col- 
umns of porphyry. 

On the ceiling of the nave is a copy of Guercino's 
Triumph of St. Chrysogonus, the original of which was 
stolen at the beginning of the eighteenth century and 
found its way to England. The saint was a martyr, who 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 329 

was beheaded in the persecution of Diocletian, his body- 
being cast into the sea. The devotion of the early church 
to him is attested by the insertion of his name in the 
Canon of the Mass. 

The church is served by Trinitarians, who were estab- 
Hshed originally by their founder, St. John of Matha, 
near S. Stefano K^otondo, on the Coelian hill, but came 
here for greater security during the turbulent period while 
the Popes were at Avignon. 

In the right aisle may be seen the tomb of Venerable 
Maria Anna Taigi, who died in 1857, the cause of whose 
beatification is proceeding. The pavement of the nave, 
Cosimati work of the thirteenth century, should be 
noticed. These mosaic pavements were costly, and were 
usually paid for by devout persons, each paying for a 
certain number of square feet. 

The church has some interesting memories. A hos- 
pital for English sailors is said to have existed here in 
mediaeval times. Cardinal Stephen Langton, Archbishop 
of Canterbury, so famous in the reign of King John, took 
his title in the sacred college from this church (d. 1225), 

St. Gregory III (731-741) here built a monastery for 
eastern monks, driven from their country by the Icono- 
clast Emperor, Leo Isauricus. Many illustrious men lived 
in this monastery, and one of the monks, elected Pope in 
768, took the name of Stephen III. 

Near the church is »S. Agata (Agatha) in Trastevere, 
built on the site of the house of St. Gregory VII, and 
across the way is the Anguillara tower, referred to above 
as belonging to the castle of Count Rodolfo, who rebuilt 
S. Francesco a K,ipa. 

We recross the river by the modern Ponte Garibaldi, 
from which a good view may be had of the island in the 
Tiber. 

263. — S. PAOLINO ALLA REGOLA — ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL. 

The first street to the left, after crossing the river, leads 
to the little church of S. Paolino alia Regola, behind 
which is a room known as St. Pauls School, said to be 



330 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

the spot where he instructed catechumens and where, if 
we are to beUeve the R.oman tradition, he held discussions 
with the Pagan philosopher, Seneca. 

Though Seneca, whose full name was Lucius Anneus 
Seneca, never became a Christian, there is, says Lanciani, 
a tradition dating at least from the beginning of the fourth 
century, that some bond of friendship existed between 
him and St. Paul. This is confirmed by a tombstone of 
the Annei {i.e., Seneca's) family discovered at Ostia in 
1867, with the inscription D. M. — M. Anneo Paulo Petro 
M. Anneus Paulus Filio Carissimo : i. e. Diis Manibus (To 
the Gods of Hades) Marcus Anneus Paul to his beloved son 
Marcus Paul Peter Anneus. The dedication D. M. shows 
that the family was pagan, yet it had adopted the names 
of Peter and Paul. 

Lanciani adds that the apostle was tried in Corinth by 
the proconsul, Marcus Anneus Gallio, brother of Seneca, 
that in R^ome he was handed over to Afranius Burrhus, 
Prefect of the Praetorium, an intimate friend of Seneca, 
that the inspired eloquence of the prisoner in preaching 
the new faith caused a profound sensation among the 
members of the Praetorium and of the imperial household, 
and that his case must have been inquired into by Seneca, 
who happened to be Consul Suffectus at the time. 

Near S. Paulino is the church of Sa. Maria in Monti- 
celli, where great excitement was caused in the year 1900, 
because many persons declared that the eyes of a picture 
of our Lord (the one now over the high altar) were seen 
to move. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

To Santa Maria in Trastevere and to the 
Janiculan Hill. 

St. Jerome, to express the reverence he felt for the 
sanctuaries which are hallowed by the bodies of martys, 
says, that if he has yielded to anger, or been troubled 
with any unpleasant imagination, he is afraid to enter 
places so holy and is seized with trembling. '' Si forte 
iratus fuero, vel nocturum phantasma illuserit, Basilicas 
Martyrum intrare non audeo : toto corpore et anima con- 
tremisco." It is not uncommon to see in Rome persons 
kissing the floor of the church, and occasionally creeping 
on their knees from the door to the sanctuary. The 
costly pavements so much admired in many of the 
churches, were paid for by the alms of the faithful, to 
testify their reverence for the floor beneath which so 
many saints have been laid to rest. Several such 
pavements have been already noticed ; another will be 
seen in our present walk at S. Maria in Trastevere. 

264. — S. ANDREA DELLA VALLE — ST. CAJETAN, FOUNDER 
OF THE THEATINES. 

In the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, not far from the Gesu, 
is the noble church of St. Andrew the Apostle, which 
takes its name from the Palazzo Valle on the other side 
of the street. Till the latter part of the sixteenth century 
the site was occupied by two small churches dedicated to 
St. Sebastian and St. Louis of France. The Duchess 
Costanza Piccolomini d'Amalfi, gave the ground, as well 
as her palace, to the Theatine Fathers to erect a large 
church in honor of St. Andrew and a convenient resi- 
dence for the community. The edifice, begun by Cardi- 
nal Gesualdo, in 1591, was completed by Cardinal Mon- 
talto in 1608, the architects being Olivieri and Carlo 

331 



332 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Maderno. The handsome facade, added in 1650, was 
designed by I(ainaldi. 

The chief objects of interest are : 

1. The paintings by Domenichino in the vaulting of the 
apse ; they represent the call of SS. Peter and Andrew, 
and the flagellation of St. Andrew. 

N. B. — The large central painting of the martyrdom of 
St. Andrew is by Calabrese. 

2. Domenichino's frescoes of the Four Evangelists in 
the spandrels or angels of the dome ; wonderful composi- 
tions, among his finest works. 

3. Lanfranco's fresco of the ^' Glory of Heaven" in 
the dome ; said to be his best work. 

4. The sepulchral monuments of Pius II (^neas Syl- 
vius Piccolomini, d. 1464) and Pius III (Tedeschini, d. 
1503), on each side of the nave. They were brought 
here from Old St. Peter's. Pius III reigned only twenty- 
six days. 

5. The side chapels, especially those belonging to the 
Lancellotti, Strozzi and Barberini families, are rich in 
marble and sculptures. 

Pope Urban VIII here placed the busts of his parents 
carved in porphyry. 

On the Feast of the Epiphany an immense crib, the 
gift of Prince Torlonia, is erected in the sanctuary and 
remains throughout the octave, on each day of which ser- 
mons are preached in various languages and the Holy 
Sacrifice is offered according to the different rites sanc- 
tioned by the Church. 

The little church of St. Sebastian, replaced by the 
present edifice, had a special interest, for it stood over 
the entrance of the cloaca or public drain, into which the 
body of St. Sebastian was thrown by order of Diocletian. 
In its fall, the dress was caught by a hook in the side of 
the shaft and the sacred remains hung suspended, till a 
pious lady, named Lucina, admonished by the martyr in 
a vision, had them removed and conveyed to the cata- 
combs. 

The church is served by the Theatines, a religious 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 333 

order founded by St. Cajetan and John Peter Caraffa, 
Archbishop of Theate (afterv/ards Paul IV), in 1524. 
Caraffa was the first general, and the religious are called 
Theatines from his Archiepiscopal See. Three years 
later he was succeeded in the office by St. Cajetan. Of 
this saint it was a common saying that he was a seraph 
at the altar and an apostle in the pulpit. On the walls of 
his chapel in the left transept are depicted scenes from 
his life. 

The large residence of the Theatine Fathers has, with 
the exception of a few rooms, been seized by the gov- 
ernment. 

On one side of S. Andrea della Valle is the Via delta 
Valky which, with its continuation, Via Chiavari, leads to 
the Monte di Pieta, and to the church of SS'^ Trinita dei 
Pellegrini, off the Via dei Pettinari. As we pass through 
the Via Chiavari, we may notice on our right some re- 
mains of the great Theatre of Pomp ey, once a building of 
great magnificence, with accommodation for 40,000 peo- 
ple. In the portico of this theatre Brutus sat as prstor 
on the morning of the murder of Julius Caesar, and close 
by was the Curia or Senate-house, where great Csesar fell 
at the base of Pompey's statue. 

The large building in the square at the end of the Via 
Chiavari, is the famous Monte diPieta, or State pawn-office, 
an institution founded by Padre Calvo in the fifteenth 
century to protect the people from the usurious tyranny 
of the Jews. Behind this institution is the church of SS. 
Trinita dei Pellegrini. 

265. — SS"". TRINITA DEI PELLEGRINI CHARITY TO 
PILGRIMS. 

The church was built in 1614 by the Archconfraternity 
of the Most Holy Trinity, a pious institution founded by 
St. Philip Neri, in 1550, for the care of the poorer class 
of pilgrims. The high altar has a painting of the Adorable 
Trinity by Guido R,eni, and under one of the side altars 
are the remains of St. John Baptist de Rossi. 

The large hospital attached to the church is associated 



334 PIl^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

with the names of St. Philip Neri and St. John Baptist de 
Rossi. St. PhiHp, pitying the crowds of poor pilgrims 
who wandered about K.ome unable to find suitable shelter, 
here opened a home for them, where they received bed 
and board gratis for the space of three, four and even 
seven days. It soon grew into a great establishment con- 
taining 500 beds, and could provide dinner for 950 persons 
at a time. The charity to the poor shown in this Institu- 
tion was extraordinary. In the Jubilee of 1650, it is said 
that 588,633 pilgrims here received food and shelter for 
three, four, or more days. The female pilgrims were 
lodged in separate wards, where they were served by de- 
vout women, often princesses and ladies of rank. The 
men pilgrims were waited on by Capuchins and gentle- 
men of good position, and had their feet washed by 
princes, cardinals and even by the Holy Father himself. 
A number of priests were specially retained to catechize 
and instruct them, to hear confessions and lead them in 
procession to the different basilicas. Cardinal Wiseman, 
in his "Recollections of the Last Four Popes" (p. 279 
seg.), describes what he himself saw in this hospital in 
the Jubilee of 1825, when the cardinals and noblemen 
with aprons on handed round the soup and other dishes 
to the poor pilgrims, and even the Holy Father himself 
came to wait upon them. 

As the revenues of the hospital have been seized by the 
Italian government since 1870, the wells of charity have 
been dried up and pilgrims are forced to seek shelter else- 
where. 

St. John Baptist de Rossi renounced his canonry in S. 
Maria in Cosmedin (1747), to come and serve the poor in 
this hospital, where he died in 1764. His body is pre- 
served in the church, and the room where he expired is 
shown on his feast day. 

266. — PONTE SISTO — ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA AND THE 
DEATH OF FATHER JOHN CODURIUS. 

In the Via dei Pettinari is the church of 5. Salvatore in 
Onda, associated with the memory of the saintly Don 



PILGRIM-WAIvKS IN ROME. 335 

Vincenzo Pallotta, whose rooms may be visited in the 
adjoining presbytery. Near the river is an institution 
known as Cento Pretty serving as a home, hospital and 
house of study for poor priests. Its first foundation arose 
from a touching incident. (1) A charitable apothecary 
visiting the patients of the poorer wards in the hospital of 
Santo Spirito, noticed one who hid his face with the 
coverlet, as though fearing to be recognized. Inquiring 
of the assistants who he was, he was pained to hear that 
he was a priest, who was thus lying among the poorest of 
the poor. The good man at once resolved to spend what 
means he had in founding a hospital for poor priests. 

The bridge we here cross to Trastevere was built by 
Sixtus IV, in the years 1473-75; but since 1870 it has 
been altered and spoilt. An incident in the life of St. 
Ignatius of Loyola lends it a special interest. One of the 
saint's first companions. Father John Codurius, being 
seriously ill, Ignatius resolved to offer up the Holy Sacri- 
fice for him in the church of St. Pietro in Montorio. While 
crossing this bridge, he suddenly lifted his eyes to heaven 
and said to his companion. Father John Baptist Viola : 
"Let us return, Codurius has just died." The Father 
had expired at that moment. Ignatius never explained 
what he saw on the bridge, but his disciples believed that 
he himself beheld the vision, which in a letter to Father 
Peter Faber, he describes as having been seen by another 
person, viz. : of the soul of Father Codurius dazzling with 
light escorted to heaven by angels. (2) The event hap- 
pened on August 29, 1541. 

267.— S. DOROTEA (DOROTHEA), V. M.— ST. CAJETAN 
AND THE CONFRATERNITY OF DIVINE LOVE. 

After crossing the bridge we may pay a short visit at 
the little church of St. Dorothea, which has some memor- 
able associations. The saint was a noble maiden of Cap- 
padocia, put to death for the faith in 304. It is related of 



(\) Card. Morosini : Istituti di Caritd, c. xii. 

(2) Ribadeneira. Life of St, Ignatius. Bk. iii., c. i. 



336 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

her that she converted two apostate women sent to ensnare 
her virtue, and on being led to the place of execution she 
also converted one Theophilus, by obtaining for him cer- 
tain fruits and flowers from her heavenly Spouse. Her 
body is preserved in this church, and on her shrine are 
carved roses and apples and other fruit, emblems of the 
unfading joys of heaven. 

The little church has much to interest us. Here Si. 
Cajetafi, of Thienna, joined the Confraternity of Divine 
Love, which had been instituted for priests and clerics to 
oppose the excessive luxury of the age and rekindle the 
fervor of Divine charity ; here he associated himself with 
John Paul Caraffa (afterv/ards Paul IV), Paul Consigliari, 
of the noble family of Ghisleri, Boniface de Colle, Lip- 
pamano, Sadolet Ghiberti, and other fervent souls, and 
laid the foundations of his order of the Theatines, i. e., of 
Regular Clergy, whose object is to lead a perfect life on 
the model of that of the Apostles. 

St. Joseph Calasanctius also belonged to this same con- 
fraternity, and here laid the foundations of the order of 
the Regular Clergy of the pious schools, commonly 
known as Scolopi. 

S. MARIA DELLA SCALA. 

In the Via delta Scala^ on the way to S. Maria in Tras- 
tevere, we pass a church of the barefooted Carmelites, 
known as 5. Maria delta Seala, " Our Lady of the Stair." 
Within is venerated a miraculous picture of our Lady that 
formerly occupied a niche on the l3,nding of a house stair 
on this spot. A touching event attracted popular devo- 
tion to this picture. A poor woman, who had a sick and 
deformed child, came every day to pray for a cure before 
this picture. As all her prayers remained ineffectual, 
frantic with grief, yet full of tender emotion, she cried 
out : '' O Mother of God, were you to ask me any favor 
I could give, I would grant it you at once." This burst 
of maternal feeling touched our Lady's heart; the child 
was instantly cured, and all Trastevere rushed to kneel 
before the holy picture. It was decided to build a church 




MAKTYRDOM OF ST. CECILIA. 260. 




ST. CECILIA AND ST. VALERIAN, 

(DomenichiDo;. 



260. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 337 

on the spot, abundant alms being given by the good peo- 
ple of Trastevere. The church was first opened in 1592. 
Its greatest relic is the foot of St. Teresa. In the first 
chapel on the right is a painting of the martyrdom of St. 
John Baptist by Gerardo della Notte, thought to be his 
best work. 

268.— S. MARIA IN TRASTEVERE. 

One of the most venerable of all the Christian buildings 
in K.ome. 

(1) Its Origin. 

Its history reaches much further back than the time of 
Constantine. The historian Lampridius relates that dur- 
ing the pontificate of Callixtus I the Christians were in 
possession of a place of assembly in Trastevere, their 
right to which was, however, disputed by the corporation 
of popinariiox tavern keepers. The question was brought 
before the Emperor Alexander Severus, who decided in 
favor of the Christians, saying that it was better that God 
should be worshipped there, in whatever fashion it might 
be, than that the place should be given over to revelry. (1) 

The original oratory was erected by St. Callixtus I 
about the year 223, not long before his martyrdom. 
Julius I rebuilt it on a larger scale in 340, and this Julian 
Basilica was restored and adorned with frescoes by John 
VII (705-707). It was re-erected in its present form by 
Innocent II, in 1140, and consecrated by Innocent III, in 
1198. 

(2) Description. 

The mosaics in the fagade are of the twelfth century. 
In the portico, re-erected in 1702, are some ancient monu- 
ments and inscriptions, many taken from the catacombs. 
The epitaph of Anastasius Bibliothecarius, compiler of 
the Papal Chronicles {Liber Pontificalis), who died in 886, 
is said to be on the right wall. 



(1) Lamprid. Alex. Severus^ 45. Thurston, Holy Year, p. 206. 
Marucchi, Basiliques, p. 429. 



338 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The interior, beautiful and impressive, retains its 
twelfth century character. The nave is divided from the 
aisles by twenty-two granite columns of unequal sizes, 
supporting a richly decorated architrave. The splendid 
pavement (Opus K.omanum, or Cosimati work) is one of 
the richest in R,ome. Lanciani informs us that the pave- 
ment of these ancient churches was divided into panels 
of various sizes (so many square feet in each) to be cov- 
ered with mosaic work, devout persons paying each for 
a panel. Thus we read that '* Claudia, a devout woman, 
and her niece Honoria, made 110 feet (of the mosaic 
floor) in fulfilment of a vow." The pavements of this 
church, of St. Mary Major, S. Lorenzo, S. Maria in 
Cosmedin, were the joint offering of many parishioners, (1) 

The ceiling, richly decorated, has a beautiful painting 
of the Assumption by Domenichino. 

The high altar, which is of the time of Innocent II 
(1130-43), is overshadowed by an arcaded canopy resting 
on four columns of porphyry. Beneath are the bodies 
of St. Callixtus I and St. Calepodius, martyrs, translated 
from the cemetery of Calepodius by Gregory IV, in 824. 
The church also possesses the shrines of SS. Cornelius, 
Julius and Quirinus, martyrs, and a rich treasury of relics, 
shown to the faithful on certain feasts. 

The beautiful mosaics of the apse are the work of 
Innocent II. He belonged to the Papareschi family, who 
had their palace in Trastevere. His portrait, with a 
square nimbus, and holding a model of the church, is 
introduced among the figures. Our Saviour is here repre- 
sented seated, with His Holy Mother, ** crowned and 
robed like a Queen beside Him, both sharing the same 
gorgeous throne and footstool ; while a hand extends 
from a fan-like glory with a jewelled crown held over 
his head : she giving benediction with the usual action ; 
He embracing her with His left arm and in the right hand 
holding a tablet that displays the words : * Veni, electa 
mea, et ponam in thronum meum.' " (Hemans). 



(1) Pa.gan and Christian J^o/ne, p. 3U. 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 339 

The seven mosaic pictures below, illustrating subjects 
from the life of our Lady, are of the thirteenth century, 
the work it is believed of Pietro Cavallini. 

(3) The Fons Olei, or Oil-spring. 

In front of the sanctuary is a spot marked ^' Fons 
Olei," where, according to an ancient tradition (con- 
firmed by Dion Cassius, a pagan writer), a stream of oil 
gushed forth in the year of K.ome, 716, i. e., about the 
time of our Saviour's Nativity. St. Jerome and Eusebius 
mention the fact. (1) 

(4) The Two Lady Chapels. 

At the end of the right aisle is the chapel of our Lady 
di Strada Cupa, so-called from the street where the pic- 
ture was formerly venerated. Domenichino designed the 
chapel, and painted in the vaulting the charming figure 
of a child scattering flowers. Henry, Cardinal-Duke of 
York, son of James the '' Old Pretender," completed the 
decoration of this chapel. 

At the end of the left aisle is the chapel of our Lady of 
Clemency, with frescoes of the Council of Trent, by Cati. 

The altar near the entrance to this chapel has a beauti- 
ful Gothic canopy, the gift of Cardinal d'Alengron, nephew 
of Charles de Valois and brother of Philip le Bel. On 
one side is the tomb of that cardinal (fourteenth century), 
and on the other the tomb of Cardinal Stefaneschi, with 
delicate carvings by Paolo Romano (fifteenth century). 

In the left aisle is the tomb of Innocent II, whose 
remains were removed from the Lateran in 1408, after 
the great fire. The monument was erected by Pius IX ; 
the ancient inscription is at present in the portico. 

269. — SAINTS AT S. MARIA IN TRASTEVERE. 

The story of the nuns of S. Maria in Trastevere 
installed at S. Sisto by St. Dominic has been given 
(n. 194). 



{\) See Marucchi, Basiliques, p. 429. 



340 PILGRIM-WALKS IX ROME. 

In the life of St. Frances of Rome it is stated that, on 
the death of her first spiritual director, God appointed as 
her confessor and director, Don Giovanni Mattiotti, a 
curate of this church. In the chapel of the angels the 
saint had several revelations. 

On March 25, 1433, feast of our Lady's Annunciation, 
the Oblates founded by St. Frances, ten in number, met 
in this church, and after Mass and Holy Communion 
went in procession to the convent of Tor de' Specchi, 
which they entered for the first time. 

In 1440, a few days before her death, the saint, though 
suffering from fever, paid a visit to this church, on her 
way, as she thought, to Tor de' Specchi. Don Giovanni 
Mattiotti, seeing her so pale and exhausted, commanded 
her as a matter of obedience, instantly to return to the 
Ponziano Palace to spend the night there. The trial was 
severe, for she knew she would never see Tor de' 
Specchi again. (1) 

St. Philip Neri had a special devotion to this sanctuary, 
where he was often seen kneeling rapt in a sort of ecstasy. 

St. Leonard of Port Maurice, O. S. F., who died in 1751, 
was engaged on one occasion to preach in this church. 
So great was the multitude that flocked to hear him, that 
the church could not hold them ; so the sermon had to 
be preached outside in the piazza, every street converg- 
ing on the square being blocked with people, and great 
numbers being gathered even on the house tops. 

270. — HISTORICAL AND TRAGIC OCCURRENCES AT S. 
MARIA IN TRASTEVERE. 

In 358 the abettors of the anti-Pope Felix II, rival of 
Liberius, forced their way into this basilica and appro- 
priated it. (2) 

On September 22, 366, the anti-Pope Ursinus, the rival 
of St. Damasus, was here elected. (3) The seizure of St. 

(1) See her Life by Lady Georgiana Fulierton. 

(2) FeHx was thrust into the Papal See by Constantius, during 
Liberius' exile, but deposed on Liberius' return, A.D. 358. 

(3) See " Alban Butler," December 10th. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 341 

Mary Major by Ursinus has been mentioned above 
(n. 87). 

In 408, 409, the Church suffered from the ravages of 
the Goths and was restored by St. Celestine I, (the same 
who sent St. Patrick to Ireland), ''post ignem geticum," 
i.e., after being set fire to by the Goths. 

The piazza of S. Maria in Trastevere was the scene of 
the massacre of several priests by Mazzinian soldiers in the 
revolution of 1849. A human fiend, named Callimacho 
Zambianchi, presided over this deed of blood. On April 
28, Don Massimo Collanti, a priest of Lombardy, arrested 
in the streets of Rome, was here, by Zambianchi's order, 
cruelly stabbed to death by five soldiers, and his body 
then kicked and trampled upon. On April 29, Don 
Vincenzo Sghirla, a Dominican, was here also sentenced 
by the same miscreant to be stabbed to death. Don P. 
Pelliciaia, a Dominican of Minerva, was here assassinated 
on May 1st with great barbarity, his request to see a 
priest in order to make his dying confession being re- 
fused by Zambianchi. Three other priests and a cleric 
were shot in the piazza on the same day. On May 4th, 
two other priests were martyred. Their bodies v/ere 
buried in the garden of S. Callisto close by, where they 
still remain ; but their martyr souls must have passed at 
once from the terrible conflict to the bright vision of God. 
Their only crime was their priesthood ; no other charge 
was brought against them, and even the show of a trial 
was dispensed with. (1) 

271. — S. CALLISTO, NEAR S. MARIA IN TRASTEVERE. 

St. Callixtus I (218-223), the founder of the Catacombs 
of S. Callisto, suffered martyrdom in a popular outbreak 
during the reign of Alexander Severus, being brutally 
ill-treated and then cast into a well. The Christians res- 
cued his body and buried it with deep reverence in the 
nearest cemetery at hand — that of Calepodius by the Via 



(1) Boero. La I^evoluzione I(omana al Giudizio degli Impar- 
ziali. 



342 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Aurelia. After St. Peter, he was, perhaps, the most 
venerated of the Popes up to the fourth century. Greg- 
ory IV translated his remains to S. Maria in Trastevere 
in 824, where they still lie under the high altar. The 
church which bears his name was built on the site of his 
martyrdom, and encloses the well where his mangled 
remains were cast. It belongs to the Benedictines, who 
own the Palazzo Moroni in the Piazza S. Maria in Tras- 
tevere, given them by Paul V in exchange for their house 
on the Quirinal. 

The Pontificals ascribe to St. Callixtus a decree ap- 
pointing the four fasts called Ember days ; and a further 
decree that ordinations should be held in each of the 
Ember weeks. A portion of his relics was formerly pos- 
sessed by Glastonbury Abbey, and another portion by 
an abbey of Canons Regular near Tournay, whence it 
was removed to Rheims. 

Retracing our steps by the Via della Scala, we ascend 
the Janicuium by the Via Garibaldi, the ancient and proper 
name of which is Via S. Pietro in Montorio. 

272. — S. PIETRO IN MONTORIO (1). 

The most ancient notice of this church occurs in the 
Liber Pontificalis of Ravenna (ninth century), where it is 
mentioned as E celesta Si. Petri montis aiirei. For many 
centuries this was venerated as the place of St. Peter's 
martyrdom, and its claims to that distinction are defended 
by Baronius and others. 

The reasons urged in favor of the Vatican as the site 
of martyrdom, and which seem conclusive, have been 
given above (n. 2). 

The present church was built at the close of the 
fifteenth century by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, the 
architect being Baccio Pintelli. In the adjoining monas- 
tery Spanish Franciscans were installed by Sixtus IV. 

The church possesses some good paintings, but its 

(1) A name probably derived from Monte d'oro, the place being 
so called because of the golden sand found here. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 343 

greatest treasure, R^aphaeV s ''Transfiguration,'' presented 
by Cardinal Giulio de Medici (afterwards Clement VII), 
was carried off by the French in 1798, and is now at the 
Vatican. Had it been restored to this church it would 
have been destroyed in the siege of 1849, when the tribune 
and bell-tower were thrown down. 

The altar-rails of giallo antico were formed from col- 
umns found in the house of Sallust near the Porta Salaria. 

In the cloister is the Tempietto of Bramante, a small 
domed edifice resting on sixteen doric columns, erected by 
that great architect, in 1502, on the supposed site of St. 
Peter's martyrdom. The bronze tabernacle of the Blessed 
Sacrament in St. Peter's is an exact model of this 
Tempietto. 

The view from the front of the church is almost un- 
rivalled. 

TOMBS OF FAMOUS IRISH CHIEFS. 

In the nave are the gravestones of Hugh O'Neil, Earl 
of Tyrone (d. 1616) ; of Hugh, his son, Baron of Dun- 
gannon (d. 1609); and of Rory (K.oderick) O'Donnell, Earl 
of Tyrconnel (d. 1<^08), who, after the failure of the ris- 
ing against Elizabeth, in 1598, brought to the centre of 
Christendom their wearied bodies and undaunted souls. 

Several noble English exiles, who fled from the fury of 
Elizabeth and her successors, are buried in S. Gregorio. 

273. — ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, AT S. PIETRO IN 
MONTORIO. 

St. Ignatius having been unanimously elected General 
of the Order by his companions, in April, 1541, refused 
to accept the office, pleading his many faults and defi- 
ciencies. He begged them to spend three days in prayer 
and then proceed to a fresh election. On April 9, he was 
again unanimously elected, but still remonstrated and 
refused the charge. Father Lainez then arose and said : 
"Yield to the will of God, for if you do not, the Company 
may dissolve itself, for I am resolved to recognize no other 
head than the one God has chosen." 



344 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The saint agreed to submit the decision to his con- 
fessor, Fra Teodosio, a Spanish Franciscan of S. Pietro, 
in Montorio. To him, after spending three days in 
prayer, he made a general confession, using every means 
to prove his unworthiness and unfitness for the office. 
Fra Teodosio, however, declared in a written statement, 
opened and read before the first Fathers of the Society, 
that Ignatius was obliged to submit to the desires of his 
companions and to accept the office imposed on him. 
The saint returned home from S. Pietro in Montorio, 
and reluctantly entered on the office of General on April 
13, 1541. 

While staying in the convent of Montorio, he cured a 
young Franciscan lay brother, named Mattel, who was 
possessed by an evil spirit and suffering horrible con- 
vulsions. 



The enchanting view of K,ome might tempt us to linger 
in this beautiful spot, but v/e shall meet the same view 
again further on. 

Behind S. Pietro, in Montorio, is the noble fountain, 
Aqua Paidina, erected by Paul V, in 1611. The water is 
conveyed by an aqueduct, thirty-five miles in length, 
from springs near the Lake of Bracciano. No city in the 
world is so rich in magnificent fountains as Rome, appro- 
priate emblems of the streams of sacramental grace ever 
flowing within the Church. 

274. — S. PANCRAZIO, OUTSIDE THE PORTA AURELIA — 
CATACOMB OF ST. CALEPODIUS. 

The history of the noble boy martyr, Pancratius, who 
suffered for the faith at the age of twelve, (1) is familiar to 
readers of ** Fabiola." A martyr's son, inheriting a rich 
property in Phrygia, he came to Rome with an uncle 
(Dionysius) and they seem to have taken a house on the 
Ccelian hill, where Pope St. Marcellus was hiding, be- 



(1) Marucchi says he was twelve years old ; Alban Butler says he 
was in his fourteenth year. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 345 

cause of the persecution of Diocletian. (1) Both uncle 
and nephew were instructed and baptized by St. Mar- 
cellus, and soon after Pancratius won the crown of mar- 
tyrdom, being beheaded by Diocletian. He was buried 
in the cemetery of Calepodius. Pope Vitalian (657-671) 
sent a portion of his relics to King Oswi, who built a 
church to receive them. The second church consecrated 
in England by St. Augustine, is said to have been dedi- 
cated to this young saint. Churches of his name abound 
in Italy, France, Spain. His head, as stated above, is 
preserved at the Lateran (n. 45). 

The church we are visiting stands outside the Porta 
Aurelia (Porta S. Pancrazio). Built soon after the saint's 
martyrdom, it was decorated by Pope St. Siricius (385- 
398), and restored by Pope St. Symmachus, about the 
year 500. Honorius I rebuilt it in the seventh century, 
and placed a silver canopy weighing 287 pounds over the 
porphyry urn containing the young saint's ashes. (Anast. 
Biblioth.) In 1249, Abbot Ugone made two rich marble 
pulpits, ui-ifortunately destroyed with many other ancient 
features by Cardinal Torres de Monreale, who mod- 
ernized the church in the seventeenth century. Of the 
ancient edifice there are few or no remains, except the 
four columns of the sanctuary. 

In 1798 and 1849 the church was rifled and desecrated 
by the French and by revolutionary ruffians. On the first 
occasion the ashes of the martyr were taken out of the 
shrine and scattered to the winds : the building, too, suf- 
fered so badly that it had to be abandoned as a ruin, and 
was only reopened in 1815. On both occasions its monu- 
ments were broken, its altars overthrown, its shrines pro- 
faned, its works of art plundered, so that now it possesses 
few artistic treasures. 

On the right side of the nave is the entrance to a crypt, 
wrongly supposed to be the Catacomb of Calepodius, the 
latter being a mile or so further on the Via Aurelia. 
Some awful daubs, the work of a French artist employed 



(1) Piazza Emerolog. Sacr. Part L 13 Mail. 



346 PII^RIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

by the present Italian government, disfigure the church 
walls. 

275. — MEMORIES OF S. PANCRAZIO. 

St. Gregory the Great here delivered his twenty-sev- 
enth homily on St. John's Gospel, on St. Pancratius' 
feast. He here established a community of monks to 
secure a greater regularity in the divine services, and gave 
to the Abbot the privilege of assisting at the Papal throne, 
whenever the Pope said Mass at the Lateran. (1) 

From this church Pope Pelagius I (556-561), went with 
Narses, General of Justinian's army, to St. Peter's to 
deny on oath that he had in any way wronged his prede- 
cessor, Vigilius. (Anast. Biblioth.) 

Innocent III here consecrated Peter of Aragon, who 
promised his help against the Albigenses. 

St. Gregory of Tours calls St. Pancratius the avenger 
of perjuries, and says that God, by a perpetual miracle, 
visibly punished false oaths taken before his relics. 

St. Bede and St. Ado of Vienne, in their martyrologies 
state that St. Calepodius was a priest full of zeal, who 
baptized a great number illustrious pagans and was mar- 
tyred with many others of the faithful. He was beheaded 
and his body cast into the Tiber, whence it was rescued 
by St. CalHxtus and buried with great reverence in the 
Catacomb of Calepodius, where he himself was shortly 
after interred. 

276.— DESECRATION OF S. PANCRAZIO BY MAZZINIANS 
AND GARIBALDIANS IN 1849. 

Just before the siege of Rome by the French troops, in 
1849, this venerable church was occupied and wrecked by 
Mazzinians, by Garibaldi's ''red-shirts" and other ruf- 
fians, who covered the walls with blasphemous inscrip- 
tions, vile caricatures and indecent sketches. They broke 
and profaned the sacred altars and monuments of saints, 
desecrated the shrines, tore to shreds the sacred vest- 



(1) Piazza. Emerolog. Sacra, vol. I, p. 405. Letter of St. Gregory 
(Lib. Ill, ep. 18) to Maurus, Abbot of St. Pancratius. 



PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 347 

ments, cast out of the urn beneath the high altar what 
remained of the relics of St. Pancratius (after the previous 
desecration of 1798) and filled the shrine with earth and 
filth, leaving the place in such a revolting state that the 
French soldiers were shocked on entering. The cata- 
combs below were not spared by these savages, who 
threw dirt and bones of animals among the relics of the 
saints. (1) 

Such disgusting outrages sent a thrill of horror through- 
out Europe, and caused intense pain to Catholics all over 
the world. These fiends of the nineteenth century were 
more brutal far than the barbarians of old, more impious 
than the pagans, for the pagans had respected the 
Christian tombs as sacred and inviolate. 

277.— THE JANICULUM— ST. PETER' S PATRIMONY. 

Re-entering Rome by the Porta di S. Pancrazio {i.e., 
the ancient Porta Aurelia), through which the French, 
under General Oudinot, marched into Rome in 1849, and 
passing the Villa Aurelia (Garibaldi's headquarters till the 
French made him retreat), we reach the entrance to a 
new and beautiful drive over the Janiculum, leading to S. 
Onofrio and Porta S. Spirito. The road is lined with 
statues, shrubs and well-kept gardens, and affords at dif- 
ferent points delightful views of Rome. 

An equestrian statue of Garibaldi crowns the summit of 
the hill overlooking the city, which it was his life's work 
to wrest from the Pope. His death on June 2, 1882, 
was the occasion of a great Masonic demonstration in 
Rome. (2) The statue was unveiled by Crispi, on Sep- 
tember 20, 1895, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the 
Italian occupation of Rome. One by one the States of 
the Church had been previously absorbed by the King- 
dom of United Italy, and the taking of Rome, on Septem- 
ber 20, 1870, had left the Pope with only the shadow of 
his former temporal sovereignty, viz., the Leonine city, 

(1) Boero. "La Revoluzione Romana," etc., p. 275. 

(2) See The Messenger, May 1902, p. 486. 



348 PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

extending from Ponte S. Angelo to the Vatican. This, 
too (with the exception of the Vatican), was appropriated 
a few years later, and thus the Patrimony of St. Peter, 
which had lasted and been respected by kings and em- 
perors for nearly 1,400 years, became restricted to the 
precincts of the palace and the gardens of the Vat- 
ican. 

The reader who desires information concerning St. 
Peter s Patrimony, the causes which led to the Temporal 
Sovereignty of the Popes, the successive grants of emper- 
ors, the confirmation of the Temporal Power by Pepin and 
Charlemagne, will find a succinct account in Guggenber- 
ger's General History of the Christian Era, vol. I., p. 121 ; 
Fredet's Modern History. Note G. p. 511 ; Dublin 
P^eview, December, 1856, p. 270 seq. 

In these irreligious days, it is consoling to reflect on the 
devotedness of Catholic sovereigns and nations in the ages 
of faith. It was for the love of St. Peter that the valiant 
Pepin drew his victorious sword. He affirmed, with solem- 
nity of an oath, that for no other motive had he encoun- 
tered the risks of battle on many a hard fought field ; and 
that for all the treasures of earth, he would not take back 
what he had once made oblation of to St. Peter. 

When Charlemagne visited K.ome (see n. 22), it was on 
his knees that he mounted the steps leading to the portals 
of St. Peter's, devoutly impressing a kiss on each step as 
he ascended — '' omnes gradus singillatim ejusdem sacra- 
tissimae Beati Petri ecclesiae deosculatus est." (1) Renew- 
ing the acts of his father, King Pepin, he solemnly de- 
clared that to Blessed Peter the dominion over the cities 
and territories was forever confirmed. (2) 

Before the time of Pepin and Charlemagne, the Patri- 
mony of St. Peter existed, and we find that St. Peter is 
the object of " restitutions " by the Lombards, of '* gifts " 
by the Franks, of ** submissions " of the peoples of 
Italy. 



(1) Anast. Bibl in Vita Hadriani Papae. 

(2) See Dublin Review, December, 1856, p. 372. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 349 

288. — THE ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH IN 1848-'49. 

Below the spot where we are standing, and on this side 
of the Via Lungara, was a house where the enemies of the 
Church held their nocturnal meetings in the revolution of 
1848-49. Fr. Bresciani, in his Jew of Verona ^ which ap- 
peared in the early numbers of the Civilta Cattolica, gives 
a terrible account of these meetings, (1) and it is well to 
see to what depths of impiety men sink, who cast aside 
the control of the Church and the restraints of conscience. 

There, in the house just mentioned, Fr. Bresciani tells 
us, lots were cast as to who amongst them should execute 
this or that assassination that had been determined upon ; 
there the most seditious and blasphemous placards and 
circulars were secretly printed, and all their iniquities 
were planned and contrived. 

Worse still : " Here," he says, '' was the altar of Satan, 
raised, as it were, in rivalry against the altar of the Most 
High. Here he was adored as God ; here he received in- 
cense ; the most awful vows were made to him, impious 
offerings and obscene sacraments. Round this altar there 
danced every night twelve abandoned women, who were 
made the priestesses of the place, and who offered the 
execrable sacrifice. More terrible still, these wicked har- 
lots went forth in the morning with an air of devotion and 
piety, dared to draw near the Holy Table and receive the 
Sacred Host at the hands of the priests, withdrew into a 
private corner, removed it from their mouths and carefully 
preserved it for their own abominable rites in the nightly 
assembly." . . . We dare not quote further, the de- 
tails that follow are too horrible to repeat. When many 
persons were scandalized at the publication of these hor- 
rors and accused Father Bresciani of a wicked forgery, he 
defended himself saying that those in authority in Rome 
could bear him testimony that he had not described the 
hundredth part of what went on in that hell upon earth. 
Father Bresciani' s words are fully confirmed by Father 



(1) His words are confirmed by Fr. Boero in "La Revoluzione 
^omana al Giudizio degli Imparziali," pp. 253, 254. 



350 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Boero in his ** Revoluzione Romana al Giudizio degli Im- 
parziali." There is some reason to beheve that this 
shocking spirit of impiety of 1849, is still alive in certain 
quarters. . 

279.— TASSO'S OAK— ST. PHILIP' S AMPHITHEATRE. 

Continuing our walk we reach a clump of cypresses 
near S. Onofrio, and close to them we notice an ancient 
oak that has battled with the storms of centuries, and 
now, sinking under the prolonged struggle, has to be 
supported by a buttress. It is known as Tasso' s oak, be- 
cause he used to recline beneath its shade with Rome out- 
stretched at his feet. A great storm in 1842, almost gave 
it its death-stroke. Behind it is a little amphitheatre, 
where it is said that St. Philip Neri, used to bring boys 
and youths for innocent diversion, and make them act 
pious plays, or perform half-dramatic musical pieces 
which developed into the well-known oratorios. The 
parents and friends of the boys were occasionally invited 
to be present, and the young performers went through 
their parts on the level space in front of the amphitheatre, 
the glorious view of Rome supplying an enchanting back- 
ground. 

280. — S. ONOFRIO — CHURCH OF ST. ONUPHRIUS. 

This picturesque building was erected in 1439, by 
Blessed Nicola da Forca Palena in honor of St. Onuph- 
rius, a father of the desert, who, for the long space of sixty 
years, lived in the wilderness praying for the Church, then 
persecuted by Constantius and Valens. A palm tree that 
grew near his cell supplied him with dates as food. 

A series of frescoes outside the church represents the 
legendary stories of his life, his rejection by his father, 
the King of Persia ; his becoming a hermit when a boy ; 
his giving a little loaf to the Child Jesus, and receiving it 
back enlarged tenfold ; his holy death, and his burial in 
a grave scooped out by two lions in the sand. 

In the lunettes, at the entrance of the church, are three 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 351 

frescoes by Domenichino, representing scenes from the 
life of St. Jerome. 

Several interesting objects claim attention in the inte- 
rior : (1) the shrine of Blessed Nicola da Forca Palena, 
under the high altar ; (2) Pinturrichio's frescoes in the 
upper part of the apse ; another fresco, by the same 
master, of St. Anne teaching our Lady to read, is in the 
second chapel on the right ; (3) ancient paintings of St. 
Onuphrius in the first chapel on the right; (4) the tomb 
of Torquato Tasso (d. 1595), erected by Pius IX, in the first 
chapel on the left. His death occurred on the eve of the 
day when he was to have been solemnly crowned on the 
Capitol as Prince of Poets. The room in which he died 
may be visited in the adjoining monastery ; (5) the tomb 
of the great linguist, Cardinal Mezzofanti (d. 1849), in the 
same chapel. 

The church is served by Hieronymites or Hermits of 
St. Jerome, but their monastery has been converted by 
the government into a children's hospital. 

We descend the slope in front of the church and enter 
the Leonine City by the Porta S. Spirito. This portion of 
K.ome, including St. Peter's, the Vatican and the Borgo, 
was falsely promised, at the Italian invasion of 1870, as a 
tiny sovereignty which should belong to the Pope, and 
v/here his temporal sway should remain undisturbed. 
With the exception of the Vatican, it was soon absorbed 
like the rest. It is called Leonine^ because Leo IV sur- 
rounded it with walls of its own as a defence against the 
Saracens in 846. 

Turning to the right at the church 5. Spirito in Sassia 
(see n. 29), we pass the hospital of ^. Spirito and presently 
reach Ponte S. Angelo. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

From the Gesu to S. Agnese in Piazza Navona. 
281. — the gesu — tomb of st. ignatius of loyola. 

This splendid church, one of the noblest and most fre- 
quented in Rome, was built for the Society of Jesus, be- 
tween the years 1568-1584, through the princely liberality 
of Cardinal Alexander Farnese. The architects were 
Giacomo della Porta and Vignola. The interior is ex- 
ceedingly rich and ornate, the profusion of decorations in 
marble, bronze, gilding and fresco painting being almost 
bewildering. The ceiling, dome and apse glow with 
frescoes, the best work of Bacciccio ; its altars are adorned 
with rich bronzes and sculptures ; its walls are incrusted 
with costly marbles ; its pavement is inlaid with porphyry 
and other precious stones ; its sanctuary and side chapels 
are bright with lamps kept constantly burning. 

Its principal treasures are : 

The altar-tomb of St. Ignatius of Loyola, in the left 
transept. 

This is said to be the most splendid altar in Rome. For 
majesty of design, for exquisite finish of workmanship 
and richness of materials, it can hardly be surpassed. 
The altar steps are of porphyry ; the predella is of rich 
inlaid work {^agates, lapis lazuli y porphyry, etc.), the gift of 
Philip II, of Spain ; the four fluted columns that support 
the entablature of gilded bronze lined with lapis lazuli ; 
the bases and capitals are of bronze ; the pilasters of 
black and white marble, the pedestals and entablature of 
verde ajitico, adorned with reliefs and foliated ornaments 
of bronze. The summit is crowned by the figures of the 
three Divine Persons in white marble encircled by rays of 
glory. Between the Eternal Father and the Divine Son 
is a large globe of lapis lazuli. Above the altar is a 
352 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 353 

richly decorated niche lined with lapis lazuli and alabastro 
anticoy where stands a noble figure of St. Ignatius (1) de- 
signed by Le Gros, surrounded by silver statues of 
angels. 

In the bronze shrine beneath the altar lie the remains 
of the great saint, whose watchword was, " The Greater 
Glory of God," and who is justly reckoned as one of 
the greatest, noblest and most valiant of the Church's 
sons. 

The right arm cf St, Francis Xavier, with which he 
baptized and unlocked the gates of heaven to countless 
multitudes in India and Japan, is preserved, still incor- 
rupt, in a large oval reliquary on the altar in the right 
transept. The high altar, though poor in design, is a 
mass of costly marbles, several being of very rare kinds. 
The four large columns are of giallo antico. Beneath the 
high altar is a small chapel with the shrine of SS. Abun- 
dius and Abundantius, where St. Aloysius heard Mass 
before entering the Society. The little chapel of our 
Lady della Strada, on the left of the sanctuary, which is 
described below. 

282.— RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF THE GESU. 

The church is rich in the traditions of the Society and 
in the memories of its saints. The body of St. Ignatius, 
translated in 1587 from the little church of S. Maria della 
Strada (now destroyed), is here enshrined, and for three 
centuries his sons have kept watch over his relics. The 
body of St. Francis Borgia rested here for a while, till 
transferred to Madrid in 1617. At the altars of the Gesu 
often prayed and served Mass those angelic souls, SS. 
Aloysius and John Berchmans. Beneath its pulpit often 
sat St. John Berchmans listening to the sermons and in- 
structions, himself preaching the while by the eloquence 
of his wonderful modesty and recollection. Before its 
shrines knelt Blessed Rodolf Aquaviva, Blessed Ignatius 



(1) The original statue of solid silver was melted down to pay the 
French after the infamous treaty of Tolentino, a. d. 1797. 



354 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Azevedo, Blessed Edmund Campion, and many other 
illustrious martyrs and missionaries. In the chapel near 
the entrance to the sacristy are buried the first companions 
of St. Camillus de Lellis. At the altar of St. Francis 
Xavier, St. Benedict Joseph Labre received Holy Com- 
munion, just before his death. At the same altar the 
Bull of canonization of St. Alphonsus Ligouri was first 
publicly read. 

In the sad days that followed the suppression of the 
Society, in 1773, the Gesu was sacrilegiously plundered, 
the shrine of our Lady della Strada and the relic of St. 
Francis Xavier, then covered with jewels, not being 
spared. On August 7, 1814, Pope Pius VII accompanied 
by many cardinals came to the Gesu amid extraordinary 
manifestations of public joy to proclaim the restoration of 
the Society of Jesus throughout the world. 

In 1839 Pope Gregory XVI came with the clergy of 
R,ome to the Gesu, carrying the miraculous picture of St. 
Mary Major, to obtain the cessation of the cholera which 
was devastating Rome. The picture was exposed in the 
church and the Pope said Mass at the high altar on the 
cessation of the epidemic. The senate of R.ome, in 
recognition of the heroic devotedness of the Jesuit 
Fathers, presented six large bronze candlesticks of costly 
workmanship to the altar of St. Ignatius. 

Somewhere, in the nave of the Gesti, is said to be buried 
Blessed Peter Faber, St. Ignatius' first companion, 
whose body was transferred from the old church of 
Madonna della Strada. 

283. — MADONNA DELLA STRADA — ''OUR LADY OF THE 
WAYSIDE." 

In the little chapel, between St. Ignatius' altar and the 
sanctuary of the high altar, is preserved an ancient fresco 
of Our Lady and the Holy Child, for which St. Ignatius 
is said to have had a special veneration. The date and 
origin of the picture are unknown. The popular story, 
not found in any historic records, is that it formerly 
stood on one of the side walls of an ancient street leading 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 355 

to the Capitol, where it was greatly venerated by the 
people ; that in course of time the Astalli family built a 
church on or near the spot, enclosing the holy picture ; 
that the new church bore the name of S^ Maria degli 
Astalli, but that the people, who remembered the picture 
in its old position, constantly spoke of it as S'^ Maria 
della Strada. The first part of this story may or may 
not be true ; what is certain is (a) that the Astalli family 
built a church of our Lady close to the site of the present 
Gesu (1), probably in the early part of the fifteenth cen- 
tury; (b) that in this church the picture of our Lady 
della Strada was venerated in a chapel erected by the De 
Grassi family in 1483 ; (c) that the picture was removed 
to the church of S. Marco when the old church of 
S'^ Maria della Strada was pulled down in 1561, and 
remained there while the new church of the Gesu was 
being built; (d) that in 1575 it was transferred from 
S. Marco to its present chapel, where it has remained 
ever since. (2) 

This present chapel was designed by Giacomo della 
Porta, and is one of the most attractive in R.ome. It is 
resplendent with marbles of the old K.oman days, and 
pillars of giallo antico, corallina and porta santa, while the 
walls and pavement itself are inlaid with the same pre- 
cious stones, the latter also being strewn with bronze 
stars. The chapel is entered through a little porch, and 
is of small size. The dim and uncertain light makes it 
difficult to distinguish clearly the details, but on the walls 
there are four pictures, which being removed on great 
feasts disclose niches containing reliquaries filled with the 
bones of martyrs and other saints. The holy picture 
itself is over the altar surrounded by rich ex-votos. Be- 
tween the painting and the crystal some wonderful jewels 



(1) This church of Santa Maria della Strada stood at the 
entrance of the Via di A ra Cash, where the residence of the Gesu 
now is. 

(2) Further information on the church and picture of Madonna 
della Strada will be found in de Buck, Le Gestt de ^ome, p. 8 
Chandlery, I^ooms of the Saints, pp. 11, 12. 



356 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

sparkle and glitter in the light of the many lamps and 
candles. 

The Society of Jesus regards this picture as one of its 
most precious possessions. Before it prayed St. Igna- 
tius, St. Francis Borgia and the three angelic youths, 
SS. Aloysius, Berchmans, Stanislaus. Here also came 
St. Philip Neri, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Camillus de 
Lellis, St. Francis de Sales, Blessed Rodolf Aquaviva 
and a host of other saintly souls. All the year round 
pious persons may be seen constantly kneeling before it, 
and numerous ex-votos attest the special favors received. 
It was solemnly crowned by the Vatican Chapter in 1638, 
and again in 1885. 

284. — SANTA MARTA— THE ROMAN COLLEGE. 

Following the Via della Gatta, opposite the Palazzo di 
Venezia, we reach the Piazza del Collegio R.omano. The 
spacious buildings on our left with a church, closed to the 
faithful since 1870, is the Convent of St. Martha, founded 
by St. Ignatius, and now converted by the Italian gov- 
ernment (how often this has to be repeated) into barracks. 
The church has been desecrated and its altars sold. St. 
Ignatius here opened a refuge for penitent women who 
sought shelter from the dangers of the world, and confided 
its direction to a community of pious ladies. The insti- 
tution met with violent opposition, but the saint never 
drew back when the salvation of souls was in question. 
The land was bought and the building started with the 
proceeds of the sale of some valuable marbles discovered 
by the saint during certain alterations at S. Maria della 
Strada. 



The immense building opposite us is the R^oman College, 
one of the greatest educational establishments of Rome, 
built by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 (and from him called 
the Gregorian University) on land bought by St. Francis 
Borgia and other Generals of the Society of Jesus. The 
college was first opened by St. Ignatius, in 1550, in a 
small house at the foot of the Capitol, and from its very 



PII^GRIM-WAI^KS IN ROME. 357 

infancy proved that it could hold its own with the best 
schools of the city. In 1551, it became necessary to hire 
a larger house, and the saint found one near the old church 
of S. Stefano, in Cacco (not far from the Minerva), be- 
longing to the Frangipane. St. Francis Borgia (Duke of 
Gaudia) gave six thousand gold crowns to start the col- 
lege, and this money Ignatius applied as a foundation for 
the support of the professors. In 1554 the college moved 
for the third time to a house belonging to Cardinal Sal- 
viati, near the site of the present college. In 1562, six 
years after the saint's death, the college made a fourth 
migration, this time to the house of Cardinal Caraffa 
(Paul IV), probably where the Palazzo Doria Pamfili 
(near the Via della Gatta) now stands. Finally, in 1582, 
the present building was opened, with chairs of Theology, 
Scripture, Oriental languages, mathematics, natural sci- 
ence, Greek and Latin literature. 

The Gregorian University became one of the most 
famous Universities in the world, and the list of its pro- 
fessors includes the names of Bellarmine, Suarez, De 
Lugo, Toletus, A Lapide, Pallavicini, Kircher, Tolomei, 
Boscovich, Maffei, Vico, Tarquini, Perrone, Franzelin, 
Secchi, etc. 

On the roll of its students are the names of five saints, 
viz. : St. Aloysius, St. John Berchmans, St. Camillus de 
Lellis, St. John Baptist De Rossi and St. Leonard of Port 
Maurice ; also the names of ten Popes, viz. : Gregory 
XV, Urban VIII, Innocent X, Clement IX, Clement X, 
Innocent XII, Clement XI, Innocent XIII, Clement XII 
and Leo XIII. 

At the occupation of K^ome by the Piedmontese, in 1870, 
this venerable college, with its famous library, its 
museums and other treasures was seized by the Italian 
government and converted into a Lyceum, where the 
education imparted is purely secular. A Protestant writer 
thus describes the present situation: "The halls of the 
Roman College, where the Jesuit Fathers taught for cen- 
turies^ are now profaned by the shallow and irreligious 
teaching of the government masters of New Italy, and are 



358 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

made a Schola erroris, where youth is taught to mock at 
and detest all that before was held in veneration." (Aug. 
Hare.) 

The Jesuit Fathers driven from the Roman College (1) 
have since reopened their schools in the Palazzo Borro- 
meo (n. 286). 

285. — CHURCH OF S. IGNAZIO. 

At the back of the Roman College is the Church of S. 
Ignazio, belonging to the Jesuit Fathers. It was begun 
in 1626, in honor of the great Founder of the Society of 
Jesus. On occasion of his Canonization, Cardinal Ludo- 
visi, nephew of Pope Gregory XV, undertaking with 
princely liberality to defray all the expenses. The facade 
is by Agliardi, a pupil of Bernini ; the rest of the building 
is from designs by Domenichino and Fr. Grassi. The 
proportions of the church are singularly noble, and the 
nave is one of the finest architectural works of the seven- 
teenth century. 

At the suppression of the Society of Jesus by Clement 
XIV, in 1773, a large store of precious marbles, that had 
been collected at enormous expense for the internal dec- 
oration of this church, was carried off to enrich and adorn 
the churches of S. Antonio dei Portoghesi (n. ?)(y) and S. 
Luigi dei Francesi (n. 293). (2) 

The decoration of the ceiling and apse is the work of 
Br. Pozzi, S.J., architect, painter and master of perspec- 
tive. The immense fresco on the vault of the nave repre- 
sents the triumph of St. Ignatius. The artist has here 
given full play to his exuberant imagination and proved 
himself a past master in the art of perspective. 

More attractive than the frescoes are two other great 
works of Pozzi, the altars in the right and left transepts, 
which were designed by him, and beneath which are the 
bodies of the angelical youths, St. Aloysius and St. John 



(1) Mgr. Dupanloup on the suppression of the Roman College, see 
The Month, Dec. 1874, p. 470. 

(2) Cepari-Goldie. Life of St. Aloysius, p. 391. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 359 

Berchmans, in magnificent urns of lapis lazuli. The altar 
tomb of St. AloysiuSy has for its centre piece, a large mar- 
ble relief of the young saint surrounded by angels, the 
work of the eminent sculptor Le Gros. This is flanked 
by spiral columns of verde antico. The urn, where the 
body of the saint lies, is wreathed with festoons of silver. 
Two boy angels of Parian marble are seated at either 
side, twin guardians of the tomb. 

The altar-tomb of St. John Berchmans resembles that 
of St. Aloysius in design and richness of material. 

A portion of the little church of the Annunziata, where 
the two young saints served Mass, received Holy Com- 
munion and were first buried, is still preserved on the 
right of the present sanctuary. Although a mere chapel, 
compared with the monumental church of S. Ignazio, this 
little edifice is inexpressibly dear to the clients of St. 
Aloysius, for he visited this church several times a day 
for four years ; its walls were the silent witnesses of his 
ardent prayers ; its floor was often bedewed with his tears. 
Since the seizure of the K^oman College, this little sanc- 
tuary is cumbered with sacristy presses and appliances 
for church decoration. 

286.— THE PRESENT HOME OF THE GREGORIAN UNI- 
VERSITY. 

(Via del Seminario.) 

A narrow street, Via del Seminario, connects the Piazza 
di S. Ignazio with the Piazza del Panteon. Here, in the 
Palazzo Borromeo, the Jesuit Fathers, driven from the 
Roman college, have (as stated above) reopened their 
classes. The building has served a variety of purposes 
in its time, having been used as a family residence, an 
ecclesiastical seminary, a college for nobles, a home for 
the CoUegio Germanico, (their old home, S. ApoUinare, 
being now the R^oman seminary), and finally, since 1873, 
as the centre of the Gregorian University. It was erected 
by the Borromeo family as a palace centuries ago, but 
after the council of Trent, owing, no doubt, to the piety 



360 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

of some member of that most pious family, became a 
seminary for ecclesiastics : hence the name of the narrow 
street in which it stands. 

Exteriorly the building has nothing to recommend it 
except its solidity : it is a large, sombre, quadrangular 
structure, with a wide entrance and heavily barred win- 
dows on the lower story (like all the Roman palaces) re- 
calling the days of ready riot and family factions, when 
the protection of iron bars was necessary. The classes 
are frequented by over a thousand ecclesiastical students. 
It is an interesting sight to see them in their different col- 
lege uniforms going to or returning from the lectures : 
they generally walk two deep in bands of fifteen or 
twenty, the Germans in their scarlet cassock and soprana 
being the most conspicuous of all : the English students 
wear black, the Scotch violet, the South Americans blue 
and black, the Spaniards black with blue lining, etc. The 
Irish and North American students attend the lectures at 
the Propaganda. 

287. — THE PANTHEON — S. MARIA AD MARTYRES. 

One of the most remarkable and interesting architec- 
tural structures in the world. 

(1) Its History. 

It was built in the year 27 B.C. by Marcus Agrippa, the 
intimate friend and counsellor of Augustus, both as a 
temple in honor of Jupiter the Avenger, and of Mars and 
Venus, the tutelary deities of the Julian house ; also as a 
memorial of Augustus' victory over Antony at the battle 
of Actium (31 B. c.) which led to the downfall of the re- 
public. 

About A. D. 390 Theodosius the Great ordered it to be 
closed as a pagan temple, though it might still be used for 
public assemblies. 

In 610 Pope St. Boniface IV, with the permission of 
the Emperor Phocas, cleansed it from the defilement of 
heathen abominations, and consecrated it as a Christian 
Church. The festival of All Saints was instituted either 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 361 

on this occasion, or at the second dedication under Greg- 
ory IV (828-844). 

In 663 the bronze tiles of the roof were carried off by 
the Emperor Constans II, to be used in some building at 
Constantinople, but they fell into the hands of the Sara- 
cens at Syracuse, and Constantine was murdered by one 
of his soldiers. 

About 1640 the bronze panels of the ceiling in the por- 
tico, weighing 450,250 pounds, were removed by Urban 
VIII, the metal being used for Bernini's baldacchino at 
St. Peter's, and for the cannon of Castel S. Angelo. 

(2) Description. 

The majestic pillared portico is 110 feet long, forty-four 
feet deep, and has sixteen monster columns of granite, 
each a monolith thirty-six feet high. The tympanum 
was formerly adorned with bronze reliefs representing 
Jupiter hurling down the Titans. The ancient inscription 
on the frieze still remains, '' M. Agrippa l. f. Cos. TER- 
TIUM Fecit ; " and the original bronze doors of huge size 
are still in use. 

The interior is a rotunda, 143 feet in diameter, with an 
enormous dome 140 feet high. There are no windows, 
light and air being admitted through a single round aper- 
ture in the ceiling, twenty-eight feet in diameter. One 
gazes in wonder at this triumph of architectural genius, 
which in spite of the ravages of time, the shocks of earth- 
quake, the havoc of war, stands as solid as when first 
built, nearly 2,000 years ago. 

"Though plundered of all its brass, except the ring 
v/hich was necessary to preserve the aperture above ; 
though exposed to repeated fires ; though sometimes 
flooded by the river, and always open to the rain, no 
monument of equal antiquity is so well preserved as this 
rotunda" (Forsyth). We may try to recall from ancient 
descriptions something of its original splendor, with its 
ceiling richly gilt throughout, its floors paved with por- 
phyry and granite, its walls incrusted with costly marbles, 



362 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

its roof covered with tiles of gilded bronze flashing in the 
sunlight. The fluted columns of giallo antico that sup- 
port the architrave in the interior are twenty-six feet 
high, and the niches, now vacant, were formerly occupied 
by the best works of art the sculptors of Greece could 
supply. It was unique in design, in solidity, in gran- 
deur ; but, alas ! in its pagan days it was defiled by a 
sensuous worship, that was a scandal to the very 
heathens. 

(3) The Altars. Raphaels Tomb. 

Out of its fifteen altars, six were dedicated to our Lady, 
one of which was destroyed in 1878, to make way for the 
tomb of Victor Emmanuel, and another in 1900, to pro- 
vide space for his son, Umberto's tomb. 

The third side altar, to the left of the sanctuary, has a 
marble statue of our Lady, executed in accordance with 
^.aphael's last will. In a cavity of the wall near this altar 
the great master was laid to rest, in 1520, and all Rome 
mourned his loss. He was the most eminent painter of 
modern times, and his greatest works are those which 
were inspired by the spirit of Religion, viz., the great 
fresco of the Disputa, and the painting of the Transfigura- 
tion, which was carried in his funeral procession. 

Two other great painters, Annibale Caracci and Tad- 
deo Zucchero have their tombs near Raphael's. 

In the second chapel to the right of the high altar is a 
monument by Thorwaldsen to Cardinal Gonsalvi, Pius 
VII's faithful minister, whose tomb is in S. Marcello. 

Since 1878 the Pantheon has become converted into a 
Mausoleum of the kings of the house of Savoy. Of Victor 
Emmanuel's tomb a Protestant author writes : '' To the 
right of the high altar a bronze monument, like a money- 
box, covers a hole in the wall like those in an ancient 
columbarium. Here — not worthily amidst his ancestors 
in the glorious Superga — rests the body of King Victor 
Emmanuel II, who died on the ninth of January, 1878, in 
the Pope's Palace of the Quirinal." (Aug Hare.) 



PILGRtM-WALKS IN ROME. 363 

(4) I(eligious and Historical Associations. 

This sacred edifice, though now to some extent secular- 
ized and regarded as a civil monument, was much frequented 
by the pilgrims of old because of the numerous bodies of 
martyrs placed beneath its altars. St. Boniface IV (608- 
618) is said to have translated to it thirty-eight cart-loads 
of the relics of martyrs from the Catacombs, though Mar- 
ucchi thinks this translation took place under Gregory IV 
(828-844). In 745 a portion of the Papal territory seized 
by the Lombards, was restored by them at the prayer of 
Pope Zachary. A solemn procession of thanksgiving 
from the Pantheon to St. Peter's was prescribed by the 
Pope. 

For a period during the Middle Ages the Pope sang 
Mass here on Whit-Sunday. 

In 1087 the building was seized and used as a fortress 
by the anti-Pope Guiberto, whence he directed his attacks 
against the lawful Pontiff, Victor III. 

In 1101, another anti-Pope, Sylvester III, was here 
elected. 

About the year 1418, Martin V cleared away a fungus 
growth of low shops and shabby buildings that had at- 
tached themselves to its walls, and repaired, as far as 
possible, the damage they had done. 

At one time the Volto Santo, or veil of St. Veronica, 
was kept here in an iron safe secured by thirteen locks, 
the keys of which were in the hands of as many different 
authorities. 

288. — S. MARIA SOPRA MINERVA. 

This, the head church of the Dominicans in Rome^ 
was begun probably about 1285 by the builders of S. 
Maria Novella in Florence, and completed in 1370. It is 
the only Gothic church in K.ome, and stands on the site 
of a temple of Minerva, erected by Pompey as a memo- 
rial of his victories in Asia. 

The exterior is extremely plain, and the visitor is 
unprepared for the noble interior, with its imposing 



364 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

dimensions, its numerous chapels, its rare sculptures and 
remarkable frescoes. In these chapels many noble fam- 
ilies — the Caffarelli, the Aldobrandini, the Altieri, the 
Giustiniani, etc. — have their sepulchral monuments. 
The chief attractions to pilgrims are : 

(1) The shrine of St. Catherine of Sienna under the 
high altar (d. 1380). The body, still incorrupt, was 
placed here by St. Antoninus, Archbishop of Florence, 
in 145 L 

(2) The room of St. Catherine of Sienna, near the 
sacristy, adorned with paintings by Perugino. It is 
called the Ifoom of the saint, though only the four walls 
are here, removed from their original site, 14. Via S. 
Chiara, by Cardinal A. Barberini, in 1637. 

(3) The splendid chapel of St. Thomas of Aquin in the 
right transept, with frescoes by Filippino Lippi. To the 
left of this chapel is the beautiful Gothic monument of 
Durandus, Bishop of Mende, who died in 1269. 

(4) The tomb of Fra Angelico of Fiesole, the prince of 
religious painters (d. 1455), in the bay to the left of the 
sanctuary, leading to the side entrance. (On Fra Angelico 
see The Messenger, 1901, p. 963, seq.) 

(5) The painting of the Annunciation in the fourth 
chapel, right aisle, is supposed to be from the hand either 
of Fra Angelico or of Benozzo Gozzoli. 

The church has also works of art by Maratta, Bacciccio, 
Barocci, etc.; also a beautiful statue of our risen Lord, 
by Michael Angelo, that stands on the left of the sanc- 
tuary. The statue of St. Sebastian, in the third chapel, 
left aisle, is supposed to be the work of Mino da Fiesole. 

Tombs of Popes. 

In this church are buried Leo X (d. 1521) (1), Clement 
VII (1534), Paul IV (d. 1559), Urban VII (d. 1590), 
Benedict XIII (d. 1730). 



(1) He was the son of Giulio de' Medici, who was murdered in 
the conspiracy of the Pazzi. In his Pontificate occurred the sack 
of I^ome by the Lutheran soldiers of Charles V, led by Constable 
de Bourbon, 1527. 



PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 305 

289. — RELIGIOUS MEMORIES OF S. MARIA SOPRA 
MINERVA. 

1. St. Antoninus, of Florence, was Prior of the monas- 
tery adjoining the church before his appointment as Arch- 
bishop. His favorite saying was, '* To serve God is to 
reign." He died in 1459. This monastery was, till 1870, 
the great centre of the Dominican Order, as that of Ara 
Coeli was of the Franciscans. The present government 
has appropriated and converted it into offices for the 
service of the State. 

2. Eugenius IV (1431), and Nicholas V (1447), were 
both elected in this church : the events are represented in 
the frescoes over the door leading to the sacristy. 

3. Fra Angelico, called by Nicholas V to I^ome to 
decorate his chapel at the Vatican, lived at S. Maria 
Sopra Minerva, and died here in 1455. 

4. An incident in the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola is 
connected with this church. His community of S. Maria 
della Strada were in great straits from poverty and har- 
ried by creditors pressing for payment, when one morn- 
ing, Brother Giovanni della Croce, whose office it was to 
attend to the domestic purchases and expenses, met a 
young man in front of this church who put a purse full of 
gold coins into his hand. The brother, fearing it might 
be some diabolical device, entered the church to pray, 
expecting the money to turn to ashes in his hand ; but it 
proved to be real gold, and, transported with joy, he 
hastened to tell the Fathers of S. Maria della Strada of the 
divinely-sent gift. They all ascribed this timely relief 
to the prayers of St. Ignatius. 

A similar mysterious gift of money was made to the 
same brother near the Coliseum. 

5. St. Philip Neri once fell into an ecstasy in this 
church during exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The 
Dominicans were anxious about some cause that was 
pending in the Papal courts, and St. Philip foretold a 
favorable issue, saying he had seen our Divine Lord in 
the host blessing all who were present. 



366 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The same saint occasionally took the Dominican novices 
for a walk to the Janiculum, or to the Villa Mattel on the 
Coelian, charming them by his simplicity and edifying 
them by his holy conversation. 

6. 'Till 1870 the Pope used to make a solemn visit to 
this church every feast of our Lady's Annunciation: the 
procession was brilliant and the spectacle one pi great 
splendor. 



Note. — The notorious apostate friar, Giordano Bruno 
(1550-1600), was imprisoned for a time in this monastery. 
(See n. 307.) 

290.— ROOM OF ST. CATHERINE OF SIENNA. 
14. Via S. Chiara. 

St. Catherine, while in K.ome, stayed at a convent in 
the present Via S. Chiara, off the Piazza di Minerva. 
The cell she occupied, and where she breathed forth her 
pure soul to God, may still be visited ; though, as stated 
above, the original walls were transferred to the Minerva 
in 1637, and only the ceiling and floor of the present 
room are of St. Catherine's time. The ceiling too, seems 
to have been considerably raised when the place was 
adapted to the purposes of an oratory. Some interesting 
paintings of the saint are shown, and two notable urns 
containing the bodies of martyrs. 

This Virgin Saint, one of the most striking figures of 
the fourteenth century, was, with St. Bridget of Sweden, 
chosen by God as His instrument to effect the return of 
the Holy See from Avignon to Rome (1377). Her life 
was a perpetual miracle. In one of her visions our Lord 
held two crowns in His hands, the one of gold, the other 
of thorns, and bade her choose. She, wishing to resem- 
ble Him in His Passion, chose the thorny crown and 
crushed it on her head. Pius H said, that everyone who 
approached her came away deeply impressed. The 
year 1378 was marked by the election of Urban VI and 
the beginning of the great Western Schism. St. Catherine 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 367 

by her prayers, tears, penances, and by her pathetic 
letters to the disobedient cardinals strove her utmost to 
check the calamities of the Church, and to support the 
claim of the lawful Pontiff. All her efforts were unsuc- 
cessful, and oppressed with sorrow and infirmities she 
expired in this cell on April 29, 1380, at the early age of 
thirty- three. 



On the opposite side of the street is the church of St. 
Clare (S. Chiara), belonging to the French Seminary. 
Till the close of the eighteenth century the Poor Clares 
had a convent where the seminary now stands. 

291.— S. EUSTACHIO— SS. EUSTACE AND 
COMPANIONS, MM. 

A little beyond the house we have been visiting is the 
church of S. Eustachio, which is mentioned in documents 
of the ninth century. It was restored under Celestine 
III (1191-1198) and again in the eighteenth century. The 
brick campanile belongs to the earlier restoration ; the 
rest is nearly all modern. 

St. Eustace, a brave soldier in the army of Titus, master 
of the house under Trajan, and general under Hadrian, 
suffered a terrible martyrdom under the latter emperor 
for refusing to burn incense before the idols. He and his 
wife, St. Theopista, and his two sons, SS. Agapetus 
and Theopistus, were enclosed in a brazen bull near the 
Coliseum and roasted alive. Their relics are preserved 
in a porphyry shrine under the high altar. 

The legend of his conversion while pursuing a stag and 
seeing a luminous cross with an image of our crucified 
Saviour between its horns, is well known. A similar 
story is told of St. Hubert. 

In this church the first College of the Society of Jesus, 
established by St. Ignatius in 1550, (see n. 284) which 
soon developed into the famous Roman College, gave its 
first academical display at the end of the scholastic 
year. 



368 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Another great foundation of St. Ignatius, the German 
College, was formally opened in this church on the feast 
of SS. Simon and Jude, 1552, the sermon being preached 
by Father Peter I^ibadeneira in presence of the saint and 
of a numerous assembly of Cardinals and Prelates. 

A narrow street on the right side of the church leads to 
the Palazzo Giustiniani and the Church of S. Luigi dei 
Francesi. 

292.— PALAZZO GIUSTINIANI— ITALIAN FREEMASONRY. 

The large palace on our right as we enter the Via della 
Scrofa, was built about three centuries ago, by the 
princely family Giustiniani. It has fallen upon evil days in 
its old age, for here the Grand Orient of Italy, that entered 
Rome at the Piedmontese invasion of 1870, took up its 
quarters in 1900, having previously held its assemblies 
in the Palazzo Borghese and in the Piazza Poli. The 
irreligious character of Italian Freemasonry has been 
frequently exposed. (1) Crispi's words at Genoa reveal 
the hostility of the sect to the Holy See : " War to the 
knife against the pretender of the Vatican, the Pontiff 
who has lifted up the idols of hoary superstition." 
Lemmi, the grand master, at a public banquet proposed 
the following toast : '* We drink to the valiant and benefi- 
cent genius, who dictated the books of Bruno, and 
inspired the immortal hymn of our Carducci," the refer- 
ence being to the apostate friar Giordano Bruno, and to 
Carducci' s Hymn to Satan. 

In his Encyclical letter Humanum Genus, of April 
20, 1884, the Holy Father lays bare the Satanical hatred 
of the Church and the avowed purpose to overthrow 
both religion and morality which characterize continental 
Freemasonry. The document gives the history, the aims, 
the dangers to society, the repeated condemnations of 
this dark conspiracy. We can quote but a few lines : 
'*At this period the partisans of evil seem to be combin- 
ing together, and to be struggling with united vehemence, 

(1) See The Messenger, New York, 1902, pages 486-7-8. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 369 

led on or assisted by that strongly organized and wide- 
spread association called the Freemasons. No longer 
making any secret of their purposes, they are now boldly 
rising up against God Himself. They are planning the 
destruction of the Holy Church publkly and openly ; and 
this with the set purpose of utterly despoiling the nations 
of Christendom, if it were possible, of the blessings ob- 
tained for us through Jesus Christ our Saviour." Further 
on he continues : '* In this insane and wicked endeavor 
(to destroy the work of Jesus Christ) we may almost see 
the implacable hatred, and spirit of revenge, with which 
Satan himself is inflamed against Jesus Christ. So also 
the studious endeavor of the Freemasons to destroy the 
chief foundations of justice and honesty, and to coope- 
rate with those who would wish, as if they ^^x^mere ani- 
mals, to do what they please, tends only to the ignomini- 
ous and disgraceful ruin of the human race." 



293. — S. LUIGI DEI FRANCESI, CHURCH OF ST. LOUIS OF 
FRANCE, IN THE VIA BELLA SCROFA. 

This, the national church of the French, was begun in 
1518, and solemnly consecrated by Cardinal de Joyeuse, 
in 1589. 

The facade is by Giacomo della Porta. To clear the 
ground for the church and residence several earlier sanc- 
tuaries were sacrificed, viz., the oratories dedicated to S. 
Maria de Cellis, St. Benedict, St. Andrew and St. James 
of the Lombards. 

The interior presents a rich appearance because of the 
costly marbles with which the walls are lined. (See n. 
285.) In the second chapel of the right aisle is one of 
Domenichino' s most admirable works, the frescoed scenes 
from the life of St. Cecilia. 

A special interest attaches to this church from its hav- 
ing shared in the apostolic ministry of St. Francis Xavier 
during his stay in I(ome. He refers to it more than once 
in his letters. 



370 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

294.— S. AGOSTINO — ST. AUGUSTINE, BISHOP OF HIPPO, 
IN PIAZZA DI S. AGOSTINO. 

The Cardinal Vicar of K.ome resides at No. 70 Via 
della Scrofa. The first street to the left after passing his 
house leads to S. Agostino, a large church belonging to 
the Austin Friars, which was erected in 1848 by Cardinal 
d'Estouteville, French Ambassador in ^ome and protec- 
tor of the Friars. The architect was Baccio Pintelli, 
whose other works are the Sixtine Chapel, S. Pietro in 
Vincoli, the Hospital of S. Spirito, S. Maria della Pace, 
etc. The cupola was the first of its kind constructed in 
K.ome. The facade and broad flight of steps leading to 
the entrance are said to have been built with stones fallen 
from the Coliseum. 

In the interior several sacred objects claim attention : 

(1) The miraculous statue of our Lady and Child near 
the entrance, known as '' Madonna del Parto." It is the 
work of Jac. Sansovino, and greatly revered by the 
Romans as the countless ex-votos attest. 

(2) The high altar designed by Bernini, rich in marbles, 
having as its central ornament a Greek picture of our 
Lady, brought from Constantinople in 1453. 

(3) Guercino' s painting of St. Augustine in the right 
transept, considered a masterpiece. 

(4) Andrea Sansovino' s marble group of St. Anne and 
our Lady at the second altar in the left aisle ; also prized 
as a masterpiece. 

(5) Gagliardi' s splendid frescoes of scenes from our 
Lady's life, over the arches of the nave and in the choir 
behind the high altar. 

(6) I(aphaeV s fresco of Isaias on the third pilaster, left 
side of nave. 

Shrines of Saints. 

The church is rich in relics, the chief being : 
(1) The body of St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, 
under the altar of the Blessed Sacrament (at the end of 
the left aisle). It was translated from Ostia in 1430 and 
laid in an urn of verde antico. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 371 

(2) The bodies of SS. Trypho, Respicius and Nympha, 
martyrs, under the high altar. 

Associations, 

St. Philip Neri, who studied theology in the adjoining 
Augustinian monastery, was often seen in this church, 
his favorite place of prayer being the chapel of the Cru- 
cifix. It was while St. Philip was a student here that the 
news came from England of the martyrdom of Blessed 
John Fisher (1535), of Blessed Thomas More and of the 
Carthusians of the Charter house. 

The monastery owned a famous library — " Bibliotheca 
Angelica" — founded by Angelo K.occa, containing 
150,000 volumes and 2,945 manuscripts. These, as well 
as the monastic buildings, have all been declared State 
property since 1870. 

295.— ST. AUGUSTINE AND ST. MONICA. 

St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo and Doctor of the 
Church, was one of the most powerful intellects the world 
has ever known. 

Led astray in his youth by the Manichean heresy, 
while he was still a catechumen, his conversion was the 
fruit of his saintly mother's prayers and tears. St. Am- 
brose's words to her were prophetic : ** Go, pray on : it 
is impossible that the child of such tears should perish." 
Augustine came from Carthage to Hom^e about A.D. 381, 
being at the time twenty-seven years of age, and taught 
rhetoric in a school somewhere near S. Maria in Cosmedin. 
About 383, he left for Milan, where in 386 he was con- 
verted and baptized by St. Ambrose. In 387 he returned 
to Rome, and on November 13 of that year his holy 
mother died at Ostia. Her dying words to her two sons 
Augustine and Navigius were: ''Lay this body any- 
where : be not concerned about that. The only thing I 
ask of you both is, that you make remembrance of me at 
the altar of the Lord, wheresoever you are." Augustine, 
then thirty-three years of age, shed bitter tears at the loss 
of her, the best of mothers, who had loved him so ten- 



372 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

derly, wept for him so long and prayed for him so con- 
stantly. *' If any one," he says in his Confessions, 
'' think it a fault that I wept for my mother some small 
part of an hour, for a mother who during many years 
v/ept for me, that I might live to Thy eyes, O Lord, let 
him not deride me for it ; but rather, if his charity be 
great, let him weep also for my sins before Thee." 

296. — S. APOLLINARE — THE FORMER COLLEGIO 
GERMANICO. 

Passing under the archway at the left corner of the 
Piazza di S. Agostino, we reach the Piazza di S. Apolli- 
nare. 

The large building on our right is the JR^oman Seminary 
to which the Church of S. Apollinare belongs. There is 
mention of this church in documents of the time of Adrian 
I, (772-795). Julius III (1550-1555) gave it to St. Igna- 
tius of Loyola, with the buildings that adjoined it for the 
use of the German College recently founded by the saint 
(n. 292). It was afterwards rebuilt by the architect Fuga, 
at his own expense, in the Pontificate of Benedict XIV. 
Ugonio, writing in 1588, says that the church was formerly 
a collegiate one, but Julius III dismissed the canons with 
a pension. Previously, he adds, the church was little 
known, ** but now the Fathers have adorned it, the ser- 
vices and music are devotional and attractive, and the 
church is much frequented." (1) Pope Gregory XIII 
built for the German students the large college, which is 
now the Roman Seminary, and bequeathed sufficient rev- 
enues for its perpetual foundation. Here the German 
students remained for some years after the suppression of 
the Society in 1773, when their college was also dissolved. 
At the restoration of the Order in 1814, the Roman Semi- 
narists, who had occupied for a time the old Collegia 
^omanOy were disinclined to leave on the return of the 
Jesuits, till Leo XII gave them this college of S. Apolii- 



(1) Ugonio, Chiese di J^ojna, A.D. 1588. 





TEMPIETTO OF BKAMANTE AT S. PIETRO IN MONTORIO. 273. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 373 

nare, the German students receiving in compensation the 
Palazzo Borromeo, mentioned above (n. 286). 

The titular saint of the church was Bishop of K.avenna, 
martyred in the reign of Vespasian. St. Peter Chrysolo- 
gus preached a panegyric on his feast. 

By a strange arrangement the altar of the Blessed Sac- 
rament is in the vestibule ; over it is a picture of our Lady 
said to be by Perugino. Under the high altar are the 
bodies of six martyrs, SS. Tiburtius, Eustrasius, Auxen- 
tius, Eugenius, Mardarius and Orestes. In the third 
chapel on the right is a beautiful statue of St. Francis 
Xavier by Le Gros : and the opposite chapel has a fine 
statue of St. Ignatius. The ceiling was painted by F. 
Pozzi, the Jesuit lay-brother. 

In this church began the work of the Doctrina Chris- 
tiana, as enjoined by the Council of Trent ; and Caesar 
Baronius, then a youth, distinguished himself by his zeal 
in promoting it. 

The Cardinal Vicar has apartments in the college 
buildings and here may be seen on special days the great 
Treasury of i^elics among which the body of St. Philo- 
mena, found in the catacomb of St. Priscilla, was formerly 
exposed for veneration, till translated to Mugnano. The 
entrance is from the Piazza S. Agostino. 

297. — PALAZZO ALTEMPS — ROOM OF ST. CHARLES 
BORROMEO. 

In the street opposite S. Apollinare is the Palazzo Al- 
temps, built in 1580 ; it has a picturesque courtyard, a 
richly decorated loggia and a beautiful chapel, under the 
altar of which is the body of St. Anicetus, Pope and 
Martyr (157-168). The Spanish College has been estab- 
lished here within recent years, the students attending the 
lectures of the Gregorian University. Their distinctive 
dress is black, with blue lining and blue cincture. 

A room is shown in which St. Charles Borromeo is said 
to have stayed when in Rome, and a richly embroidered 
chasuble that belonged to him is here preserved. St. 



o74 PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Charles, nephew of Pius IV, Cardinal Priest of S. Pras- 
sede, and Archbishop of Milan, is one of the Church's 
most illustrious Prelates since the Council of Trent. His 
heroism and self-sacrifice during the great plague of 
Milan form a glorious chapter in the history of Christian 
charity. He died in 1584. Another room of the saint is 
shown at S. Prassede. 

St. Charles' affection for the English exiles will be re- 
ferred to later. 

298.— S. AGNESE IN PIAZZA NAVONA. 

The Via Agonale connects the Piazza S. Apollinare 
with the Piazza Navona (or Circo Agonale), a vast oblong 
square, occupying the site of Domitian's Circus Agonalis, 
and decorated with three handsome fountains. The 
church of St. Agnes is its most conspicuous building, and 
stands on or close to the site of the young saint's martyr- 
dom. The original oratory, built soon after her death, 
was replaced by a more spacious church under Callixtus 
n (1123), built in the side vaults of Domitian's Circus, on 
the same level as the present crypt. A bull of Urban H 
(1186) speaks of it as ''Cryptse Agonis." The entrance 
was from the present Via dell' Anima. 

In 1642 the twelfth century church was destroyed and 
the present one built by the Pamfili family on the eleva- 
tion of one of its members to the Papacy as Innocent X. 
The architect employed was I^ainaldi, the barocco facade 
being added later by Borromini. The interior, which has 
the form of a Greek cross, is rich in marbles, sculptures, 
bronzes and antique columns. The high altar has four 
columns of vcrde antico, two of which belonged to the 
Arch of Marcus Aurelius in the Corso, taken down by 
Alexander VII. All the altars have statues or marble 
reliefs of exquisite beauty. Above the principal door, 
inside the building, is the tomb of Innocent X. 

St. Frances of I^omCy who was born in 1384, was bap- 
tized and confirmed in this church. 



P1I.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 375 

The Crypt. 

Beneath the church are some vaulted chambers, part of 
Domitian's Circus Agonalis, in one of which St. Agnes 
was exposed to insult before her martyrdom, but miracu- 
lously protected by an angel, and in another was impris- 
oned for a while. There are some ancient frescoes, a 
bas-relief of the saint, and portions of the old mosaic 
pavement. 

299. — THE MARTYRDOM OF ST. AGNES. 

We are on sacred ground and must dwell for a while 
on the story of this young saint's martyrdom, which 
occurred in A.D. 305, during the Persecution of Diocle- 
tian. St. Jerome says, that the tongues and pens of all 
nations are employed in the praises of this saint, who 
overcame both the cruelty of the tyrant and the tender- 
ness of her age, and crowned the glory of chastity with 
that of martyrdom. (Alban Butler, Jan. 4.) 

(1) The Child Martyr. 

This gentle saint, who is revered as a special patron- 
ess of purity, was led to the altar of Minerva at the tender 
age of twelve, and commanded to offer incense. But 
neither entreaties nor threats, nor the sight of the hideous 
instruments of torture could shake her constancy ; her 
hand moved but to make the sign of the cross. Her 
childish wrists were bound in fetters, but the clumsy 
chains slipped from hands so small and delicate. The 
judge then ordered her to be led to one of the lower cells. 

(2) The Protecting Angel. 

The following extracts are borrowed from the narrative 
of Ambrose, a servant of God (not St. Ambrose), trans- 
lated by Rev. Dr. Kolbe :(1) 

When her hair was loosed, God gave such length and 
thickness to her flowing tresses that they seemed to cover 
her completely ; and when she entered the cell she found 



(1) See Irish Monthly, July, 1896. 



376 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

an angel of the Lord there waiting for her, who sur- 
rounded her with a dazzling light, by reason of the glory 
of which none might touch or look upon her. The whole 
room shone like the dazzling sun of midday. As Agnes 
knelt in prayer, our Lord appeared with a snow-white 
robe, which He gave her. 

The Prefect Symphonianus' son, the prime mover in 
the prosecution, came with some young companions to 
offer insult to the maiden ; but suddenly falling on his 
face, he was struck dead, (1) and his terrified compan- 
ions fled, half-dead with pain and terror. At Agnes' 
prayer the youth was restored to life and converted to 
Christianity. The people cried out that she was a sorcer- 
ess and had raised him by magic. 

(3) The Place of Imprisonment. 

The Prefect was disposed to release her, but feared 
the people and the Emperor ; so he went away sad, re- 
signing his office to the Deputy-Prefect, Aspasius by 
name. Agnes was confined for a short time in a prison, 
this being the vaulted chamber still seen in the crypt. 
The ancient frescoes there remind us of the angels who 
accompanied her and watched over her. 

(4) Agnes in the Flames. 

The Deputy-Prefect, Aspasius, commanded a great 
fire to be lighted before all the people (in the Circus Ago- 
nalis, i. e., in the Piazza Navona), and caused Agnes to 
be thrown into it. Immediately, however, the flames 
divided into two, burning the turbulent people on both 
sides, but leaving Blessed Agnes wholly untouched. 
This also the people ascribed to witchcraft, and the air 
was rent with screams and cries, *' Away with the witch." 

(5) The Execution. 

Then Aspasius, impatient at the excitement of the 
people, bade the executioner to plunge a sword into her 
throat. 



(1) Prudentius says he was struck blind. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 377 

When Agnes heard the sentence she was transported 
with joy, and went to the place of execution '* more cheer- 
fully," says St. Ambrose, " than others go to a wedding." 

At the stroke of the sword the crimson stream of blood 
flowed over her, and thus it was that Christ consecrated 
to Himself His Bride and Martyr. 

Her parents secured her body and buried it on their 
estate on the Via Nomentana, not far from the city 
(n. 222). 



CHAPTER XV. 

From Piazza Navona to S. Girolamo della 
Carita and S. Maria in Vallicella. 

** Rome is truly rich in sacred monuments. Its very 
soil, so often bedewed with martyrs' blood, shed for the 
Catholic faith ; the treasures of the relics of countless 
saints, which it conceals ; its sanctuaries and shrines — 
present resistless attractions to the fervent soul. The 
great founder of the Oratory, St. Philip, never allowed 
a day to pass without rekindling, at these shrines, the 
flames of divine love. Venerable Oliver Plunket seems 
to have taken him for his model, and to have daily visited 
these holy places with special ardor of devotion." (Car- 
dinal Moran. Life of Venerable Oliver Plunket y p. 21). 

300. — S. GIACOMO DEI SPAGNUOLI — ST. JAMES OF 
COMPOSTELLA IN PIAZZA NAVONA. 

On the side of the square opposite to S. Agnese is the 
church of St. James of Compostella (S. Giacomo dei 
Spagnuoli), formerly the national church of the Span- 
iards, but now the property of the Missionaries of the 
Sacred Heart of Issoudun. 

Attached to it was a hospital and home for Spanish 
pilgrims, where St, Ignatius of Loyola is believed to have 
stopped during his first visit to Rome in 1523, when on 
his way from Manresa to Palestine. 

The church was built in the twelfth century by the 
Infante Don Enrique, son of Ferdinand III of Spain. It 
formerly possessed some notable works of art, many of 
which are now preserved at S. Maria di Monserrato, the 
present national church of Spain (n. 312). 

The large fountain in the centre of the square (Piazza 
Navona) was erected by Bernini under Innocent X. 
378 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 379 

Seated on large masses of rock are four figures repre- 
senting the four largest rivers, the Danube, Ganges, Nile, 
and Rio del Plata. Below is a large ancient basin of 
Pentelic marble. The obelisk that surmounts the struc- 
ture was found in the Circus of Maxentius near S. Sebas- 
tiano. 

In 1749 St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio, preached a 
mission in this square, which was attended by immense 
crowds for fifteen days. People stood at every window, 
and even the side streets were filled. It was noticed that 
even those who were far beyond the reach of his voice, 
were moved to sorrow and compunction by merely seeing 
him. Though it was the month of August, men and 
women stood crowded together for hours, waiting for the 
sermon, and fascinated during it by the saint's words. 

301. — S. MARIA dell' ANIMA IN VIA DELL' ANIMA. (1) 

Crossing the square and following the narrow street to 
the right of S. Agnese, we reach the Via dell' Anima, 
with a church dedicated to our Lady of the Holy Souls, 
this title being suggested by a marble group discovered 
here representing two souls praying to the Blessed Virgin, 
a copy of which may be seen on the tympanum over the 
doorway. 

This, the national church of the Germans, was begun 
in 1400 with funds bequeathed by John Peeters, a Belgian, 
and Catherine, his wife, and completed by German Catho- 
lics in 1514. 

The interior is wide and lofty, the ceiling resting on 
massive piers. Over the high altar is a fine painting of 
our Lady and Saints by Giulio R,omano, a disciple of 
Raphael. 

On the right of the sanctuary is the finely sculptured 
tomb of Pope Adrian VI of Utrecht (2), (d. 1523), de- 



(1) The front entrance is generally closed after 8.30 a.m. Admit- 
tance can always be gained from behind through the courtyard of 
the College. 

(2) This Pope had been the preceptor of the Emperor Charles V. 



380 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

signed by Baldassare Peruzzi. Opposite is the tomb of 
Charles Frederick, Duke of Cleves (d. 1575). 

Attached to the church is a hospice, or home for Ger- 
man pilgrims, now partly converted into an ecclesiastical 
college. The services on Sundays and feast days are 
impressive and the choral singing excellent. 

The church and college are under the protection of the 
Emperor of Austria. 

302. — S. MARIA BELLA PACE— S. TOMMASO IN PARIONE. 

Behind S. Maria dell' Anima is the church of S. Maria 
della Pace, '* Our Lady of Peace," erected by Sixtus IV 
(1471-1484) in fulfilment of a vow he had made for the 
restoration of peace and concord among Christian princes ; 
and restored by Alexander VII (1655-1667) in thanks- 
giving for the blessing of peace during his pontificate. 
The architect was Baccio Pintelli, the semi-circular por- 
tico being added by Pietro da Cortona. 

The interior consists of a short nave, terminating in 
an octagon, surmounted by a dome. 

Under the high altar are the bodies of SS. Basilissa 
and Anastasia, martyrs, disciples of St. Peter; and over 
the altar is a miraculous picture of our Lady, brought 
here from the wall of a neighboring tavern in the fifteenth 
century. The story is told, that a ruffian, in a fit of 
anger, had hurled a dagger at the holy picture, the point 
of which struck the face, whence blood was seen to flow. 

Above the arch of the first chapel, on the right as we 
enter, is R^aphaeV s famous fresco of the Sibyls (Cumaean, 
Persian, Phrygian and Tiburtine), receiving from angels 
revelations regarding our Saviour. It was painted in 
1514 by order of Agostino Chigi. S. Augustine, speak- 
ing of a prophecy by the Cumsan Sibyl, of our Saviour's 
coming, says there is no trace of idolatrous belief in her 
utterances ; that, on the contrary, she reprobates the 
pagan gods and pagan worship, and is to be reckoned 
among those belonging to the City of God. (1). 



(1) De Civitate Dei, lib. xviii, c. 23. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 381 

There are also valuable paintings by Baldassare Peruzzi 
and Sermoneta. 

The centre of the Archconfraternity of the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus was transferred to this church from 
S. Teodoro at the foot of the Palatine, about the year 
1825, and all aggregations must be sought here. 

The street in front of S. Maria della Pace leads to a 
small church, known as S. Tommaso in Parione {\), which 
derives a special interest from the fact that St. Philip 
Neri was here ordained priest on May 23, 1551, being 
then thirty-six years old. His confessor. Father Persian© 
K.osa, had advised him to take holy orders, in spite of his 
fears and reluctance. In the previous Holy Week he 
had received the subdiaconate and diaconate in the Lat- 
eran Basilica. 

303.— S. PANTALEO— ST. JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS. 

Near the end of the Via dell' Anima, standing at a cor- 
ner of the Palazzo Braschi, is a mutilated statue known 
as Pasqtdno, a name given to it at the end of the fifteenth 
century, after a tailor of that name who lived in the 
neighborhood, and was notorious for his wit and satirical 
powers. It was once the custom to affix satires and 
lampoons to this broken figure. 

Passing in front of the statue, we reach the Piazza di 
S. Pantaleo, with a church dedicated to that saint, who 
suffered for the faith in A.D. 303. The edifice, built in 
the thirteenth century by Honorius III, on a portion of 
the ruins of Domitian's circus, v/as restored in 1418 and 
1621. 

Under the high altar is the shrine of St. Joseph Cala- 
sanciius, (2) founder of the K.egular Clerks of the Pious 
Schools (commonly known as Scolopi), who died in 1643, 
at the advanced age of ninety-three. For some twenty 
years he was associated with St. Camiilus de Lellis in 



(1) Parione is the name of the district. 

(2) To whom Paul V gave this church in 1612 to be served by his 
religious. 



382 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

ministering to the sick, and is chiefly remarkable for the 
extraordinary meekness and patience with which he suf- 
fered severe trials and opposition. The room where he 
died may be visited in the adjoining monastery. It will 
be referred to later. His religious serve the church. 

It is said that before the Reformation a community of 
English priests had charge of this sanctuary. 

304. — PALAZZO MASSIMO — MIRACLE OF ST. PHILIP NERL 

Close to S. Pantaleo is the Palace of the Massimi 
family, where St. Philip raised to life Paolo, eldest son of 
Prince Fabrizio Massimo, on March 16, 1583. Paolo, a 
boy of fourteen, was a favorite of St. Philip's and his 
penitent. He fell ill in January, and on March 16th was 
found to be dying. Francesca, his nurse from childhood, 
ran to S. Girolamo della Carita to summon Philip, but he 
was saying Mass and she had to wait. On learning her 
errand, he set out instantly for the palace of the Massimi. 
But he arrived too late ; half an hour before Paolo had 
breathed his last, in the presence of the priest who had 
given him extreme unction, and who had since left the 
house. Philip knelt for some minutes beside the corpse, 
trembling from the palpitation of his heart, as was his 
wont when in fervent prayer. Then rising, he sprinkled 
the corpse with holy water, breathed on the face and 
cried, with a loud voice: ''Paolo! Paolo!" At these 
words the boy opened his eyes, as if waking from sleep, 
and answered: ''Father," adding after a pause, " I had 
forgotten one sin, and I wish to confess it." St. Philip 
put a crucifix into the boy's hand, and, every one having 
left the room, heard his confession and gave him absolu- 
tion. When the family returned Philip was talking to 
Paolo, and the conversation lasted about half an hour. 
At last Philip asked him if he were willing to die. " Yes," 
the boy answered, " most willing, for I want to see my 
mother and sister in heaven." So Philip gave him his 
blessing, saying: "Go, then, God bless you, and pray 
for me ; " and instantly, without the least movement, but 
with a calm and joyful look, Paolo once more expired in 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 383 

St. Philip's arms. These facts were attested, on oath, by 
Fabrizio de' Massimi, Violante Santa Croce, his second 
wife, and Francesca, the servant, who were eye-witnesses 
of them. (1) 

305.— S. LORENZO IN DAMASO— ST. FRANCIS XAVIER — 
ST. BRIDGET OF SWEDEN. 

On the opposite side of the street is the pretty little 
Palazzetto Farnese (recently restored) attributed to Bal- 
dassare Peruzzi ; and beyond it is the immense Palace of 
the Cancelleria, designed by Bramante (1494) said to be 
one of the finest buildings in Rome, and greatly admired 
for its majestic simplicity. It belongs to the Pope and is 
the only palace within the city which the ecclesiastical 
authorities are allowed by the Italian government to 
occupy. Within its precincts is included the church of 
5. Lorenzo in Damaso, originally erected by Pope St. 
Damasus (366-384) and rebuilt by Bramante in 1495. (2) 

The interior is almost a square with an apse, and it is 
bounded by arcades on three sides. The frescoes are 
modern, those executed for Cardinal Alexander Farnese 
having been destroyed by the French at the close of the 
eighteenth century. 

Under the high altar are the bodies of St. Damasus, 
Pope, and of St. Eutychius, Martyr. In a chapel open- 
ing from the right aisle is a miraculous crucifix, before 
which St. Bridget of Sweden often prayed. In the same 
aisle is the tomb of Count Pellegrino Rossi, treacherously 
assassinated on November 15, 1848 (n. 306). The altar 
at the end of the left aisle has a very ancient picture of 
our Lady brought from the East. 

St. Francis Xavier's Sermons. 

In the Lent of 1538, the great apostle of the Indies 
preached a course of sermons in this church with Blessed 
Peter Faber. He was unwell at the time, suffering from 
privations and austerities, so that it was feared he would 



(1) Life of St. Philip, by Mrs. Hope. 

(2) The original church was a little to the west of the present one. 



384 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

be unequal to the exertion of preaching ; yet miracu- 
lously strengthened, it would appear, he threw himself 
into the apostolic work with such ardor, that he drew 
crowds to confession. A statue of the saint facing the 
entrance commemorates this, his apostolic work. The 
companion statue of St. Charles Borromeo is to remind 
us that this saint often said Mass here. 

SL Bridget of Sweden. 

This saint arrived in Rome in the spring of 1347, where 
she and her companions found lodging in a house near the 
church of S. Lorenzo in Damaso. Here she resumed 
the life of prayer, austerity and works of charity she had 
led in her cell at Alvastra in Sweden. In the apartments 
of the Cardinal Cancelliere is said to be preserved a small 
window that formed part of her house. Kneeling at this 
window, which was her favorite place of prayer, she 
could see the altar of the church of S. Lorenzo in 
Damaso. Once as she knelt with her eyes fixed on the 
tabernacle, she beheld hundreds of adoring angels closely 
clustered in the sanctuary. One of them came to her and 
dictated to her in her mother-tongue certain praises which 
our Lord wished to be recited in honor of His Blessed 
Mother. (1) 

306.— PALACE OF THE CANCELLERIA— MURDER OF 
COUNT ROSSI. 

It is worth while entering the courtyard of this palace 
to see a true specimen of renaissance architecture. The 
court, in two stories, is surrounded by arcades, and has 
forty-two ancient granite pillars, the graceful capitals 
being decorated with roses. To the left of the entrance 
is a bust of Padre Secchi, of the Society of Jesus, the 
great Jesuit astronomer, who died in 1878. 

In this palace, in 1848, Pius IX, yielding to the de- 
mands of the Liberals {i. ^., the Revolutionary party), 
who clamored for certain reforms, convoked a Parliament 



(1) See Life of St. Bridget, by F. J. Partridge, p. 19L 




MADONNA DELLA STKADA. 283. 



PIIvGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 385 

to deliberate what concessions were needed and could be 
made. As head of this assembly, he appointed Count 
Pellegrino Rossi, a man of integrity, whom he felt he 
could trust. The revolutionary party grew more and 
more threatening. In July, while the deputies were 
seated here, the mob burst into the council-chamber and 
demanded the instant declaration of war against Austria. 
On the 16th of November Count Rossi, long marked out 
for vengeance, was assassinated on the first landing of 
the staircase (the one on our left), his murderer, Con- 
stantini, being carried in triumph through the streets on 
the shoulders of his fellow conspirators. (1) The body 
was hastily embalmed and buried in S. Lorenzo in Da- 
maso, on the very night of his murder, for fear of further 
outrage. On November 24th Pius IX fled from Rome to 
Gaeta. (2) 

307.— CAMPO DE' FIORI — GIORDANO BRUNO. 

Near the palace of the Canceileria is a large piazza 
known as Campo de Fiori, where a market is held on 
Wednesday mornings, a strange and busy scene, with a 
confused mass of booths, full of flov/ers, vegetables, arti- 
cles of clothing, antiquities, occasionally even of old 
copes and chasubles exposed for sale. In the centre of 
the square is a bronze statue of the apostate friar Gior- 
dano Bruno, erected by Crispi and the Freemasons on the 
spot where he was burnt. (3) In an article in The Messen- 
ger of May, 1902, (p. 488) occurs the following passage : 
** At last the frequent Satanic outbursts culminated in the 
apotheosis of Giordano Bruno, or rather of Lucifer, in 
Rome on Pentecost Sunday, 1889. There is no exaggera- 
tion in using the word apotheosis, or deification ; for the 



(1) Balan. Storia della Chiesa., vol. i., p. 502. 

(2) Balan. Ibid., p. 514. 

(3) His execution took place on February 17, 1600. His life 
would have been spared had he been willing to repent and retract 
his errors. But he remained obstinate and impenitent to the last^ 
and v/hen the crucifix was presented to him at the stake, he turned 
away and refused to kiss it. 



386 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

apostate monk, the inexpressible uncleanness of whose 
life and writings caused him to be expelled by the Prot- 
estants of Switzerland, Bohemia and England, was only 
the type of a greater genius. The real hero of the festi- 
val was Lucifer, around whose hideous standard, on 
which was his image, were grouped 1,970 banners borne 
in the procession. The banners represented, it was said, 
6,000 societies. The scenes in Rome were so terrible as 
to frighten even the government, which had approved of 
them." Somewhat later, Lemmi, the grand master of 
the Italian Freemasons, explained more fully the true 
significance of this celebration, when at a banquet, he 
drank **to the valiant and beneficent genius (the evil 
spirit) — who dictated the books of Bruno, and inspired 
the immortal hymn of our Carducci." Carducci's Hymn 
to Satan, in which the Dark Angel is proclaimed the 
sovereign of all things, was sung with frantic applause by 
the Masonic brethren present. 

Pope Leo XIII in his Encyclical of October 15, 1890, 
says: ''The erection by the sect (Freemasons) of the 
monument to the notorious apostate of Nola {i. e., Gior- 
dano Bruno), was, with the aid and favor of the govern- 
ment, promoted, determined and carried out by the Free- 
masons, whose authorized spokesmen were not ashamed 
to acknowledge its purpose, and to declare its meaning. 
Its purpose was to insult the Papacy ; its meaning that, 
instead of the Catholic faith, there must now be substi- 
tuted the most absolute freedom of criticism, of thought, 
of conscience." 

308. — PIAZZA FARNESE — CONVENT OF ST. BRIDGET 
OF SWEDEN. 

Close to the Campo de' Fiori is the Piazza Farnese, one 
side of which square is occupied by the Palazzo Farnese, 
said to be the finest palace in Rome. It was begun by 
Cardinal Alexander Farnese, (afterwards Pope Paul III) 
about 1540, and was continued after his death, being 
completed only in 1580. The beautiful cornice and the 
court were designed by Michael Angelo. 



PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 387 

At the southwest corner of the square are the church 
and convent of St. Bridget of Sweden, built on the 
site of the house where she dwelt, and of the hospice she 
opened for Swedish pilgrims. The present church dates 
from 1513, and belongs to a community of Carmelite nuns. 
Mention was made above of another house where the 
saint lodged near the church of S. Lorenzo in Damaso ; 
but after her return from the Holy Land in 1373, she took 
the house in the Piazza Farnese, which was to be her 
last earthly abode. Here rapt in ecstasy by a vision of 
our Divine Lord and of His Blessed Mother, and cheered 
by the songs of angels, she calmly breathed forth her 
soul to God on July 23, 1373. The rooms occupied by 
her and her daughter St. Catherine are open to visitors on 
her feast day, October 10. The table used by her, on 
which she wrote her revelations, is preserved in her 
room. 

Close to the convent is the entrance to the Via di Mon- 
serratOy which leads from Piazza Farnese to Ponte S. An- 
gelo. There are three important sanctuaries to visit in 
this street. 

309. — S. GIROLAMO BELLA CARITA — HOUSE OF ST. 
PAULA, WIDOW, (d. 404). 

The first church we meet in the Via Monserrato is 5. 
Girolamo della Carita, (St. Jerome's Confraternity of 
Mercy), built on the site of the house of St. Paula, 
widow, of whom St. Jerome says, " Noble by birth, she 
was much more noble by her sanctity. Powerful at one 
time because of her vast riches, she became much more 
truly great through her poverty — the poverty of Christ. 
Descended, as she was, from the Gracchi, a daughter of 
the Scipios, heiress to Paulus ^EmiHus, after whom she 
was called, to Rome and all its glories she preferred the 
lowliness of the little town of Bethlehem." 

By the death of her husband, Toxotius, she was left a 
widow with five children, a son called Toxotius and four 
daughters, namely, Blesilla (at whose death in 384, St. 
Jerome wrote from Bethlehem to console the mother and 



388 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

reprove her for giving way to excessive grief). Paulina, 
(married to St. Pammachius), St. Eustochium, (St. Je- 
rome's spiritual child) and Rufina, who died young. 

When St. Paulinus, of Antioch, and St. Epiphanius, of 
Salamis, were summoned to Rome by St. Damasus to 
attend a council in 382, St. Paula gave them hospitality 
in her house. (1) St. Jerome, who was called to Rome 
by the same Pope, was her spiritual director during his 
stay of two and a half years in that city, and under his 
guidance she began to lead a life of great austerity and 
sanctity, associated with St. Marcella and other holy 
souls on the Aventine. Writing to Eustochium St. Je- 
rome says: ''O Eustochium, what a day will that be 
when Mary, the Mother of our Lord, surrounded by vir- 
gins3 v/ill come forth to welcome you. . . . Your 
two mothers will also be there to welcome you. Paula 
will rejoice to have given you birth, Marcella to have 
trained you for heaven ; then 'will you hear that new song 
sung by the hundred and forty-four thousand that are 
before the throne . . . who follow the Lamb 
whithersoever He goeth. Whenever, therefore, earthly 
things seek to withdraw your heart from heavenly ones, 
whenever you behold the glories of this world, lift up 
your heart, and begin to be now what you intend to be then.'' 



Domenichino's masterpiece, '' The last communion of 
St. Jerome," (n. 27), in which St. Paula is introduced 
kissing the hand of the dying saint, was the chief orna- 
ment of this church, till carried off to Paris by the French 
in 1798. (2) Originally a collegiate church it was given 
to the Franciscans (Observatines) probably in the four- 
teenth century, and on their leaving it for S. Bartolo- 
meo in Isola in 1536, Clement VIII installed here the 
confraternity della carita founded by him. 



(1) Alban Butler. St. Paula, January 26. St. Eustochium, 
September 28. 

(2) Since its restoration, in 1814, it has been preserved in the 
Vatican. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 389 

310.— ST. PHILIP NERI AT S. GIROLAMO BELLA 
CARITA — THE FIRST ORATORY. 

After his ordination at S. Tommaso in Parione on May 
23, 1551 (n. 302), St. Philip came to reside with his con- 
fessor, Fr. Persiano K,osa and three other priests at 
S. Girolamo della Carita, and here he remained thirty- 
three years, from the thirty-sixth to the sixty-ninth year 
of his age. Here he received visits from St. Ignatius of 
Loyola, St. Felix of Cantalice and St. Camillus de Lellis, 
the latter being his penitent, and here laid the foundations 
of the Oratory. He had always felt a special attraction 
to work for the young : he v»^ould invite young men and 
boys to his room, speak to them in a most winning way 
of the things of God, and often take them with him to the 
different churches and to the stations. The younger boys 
who came in great numbers to S. Girolamo, made a great 
deal of noise, romping and playing as children always 
do, so that some of the priests of the house complained 
of the uproar ; but St. Philip defended his young friends, 
saying : *' Be patient with them, we ought to put up with 
any inconvenience so long as they are kept from sin." 
Finding his own room too small, he obtained leave in 
1558 to fit up a room over part of the church for the 
spiritual exercises of his boys and young men : and here 
began the spiritual conferences, (1) prayers, hymns, etc., 
which developed into the work of the Oratory. The 
room, reduced in size, may be seen. For years he felt an 
intense desire to go to the Foreign Missions, and it was 
his delight to read to his young friends the wonderful 
letters St. Francis Xavier wrote from India, lent him by 
St. Ignatius. He longed also to go to India to work for 
souls, but a holy monk at Tre Fontane, whom he con- 
sulted, told him, after recommending the matter to God, 
that Rome was to be his India. In the church we are 
visiting he said Mass every morning with seraphic fervor. 
During the Holy Sacrifice the tears would roll down his 



(1) The conferences were given by the Saint, Baronius, Bordino 
and Ant. Fucci. 



390 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

cheeks, and he was often so overcome that he was obliged 
to stand at the altar silent and motionless, till he recov- 
ered strength, which the effusion of divine love had 
exhausted. On one occasion a little girl exclaimed dur- 
ing his Mass : " Mother, look, the Father is standing in 
the air." 

Venerable Oliver Plunkety Martyr, at S. Gtrolamc 
della Caritd. 

After spending eight years in R.ome as a student of the 
Irish College (1646-1654), the future martyr, finding it 
impossible to return at once to Ireland, which Cromwell' s 
ruthless invasion had deluged with blood, asked leave of 
the General of the Jesuits ''to continue in Rome for 
a while and to dwell with the Fathers of S. Girolamo della 
Carita " The permission sought for was readily ac- 
corded, and for three years Dr. Plunket devoted himself 
to the study and the unostentatious exercise of the sacred 
ministry in the silent retreat of S. Girolamo. (Cardinal 
Moran. Life of Venerable Phmket. ch. 2, p. 15). 

In 1657, return to Ireland being still impossible, he was 
appointed professor in the College of Propaganda, where 
he lectured for twelve years on Dogmatic and Moral 
Theology, being at the same time consultor of the Sacred 
Congregation of the Index, and of other congregations. 

311.— THE ENGLISH COLLEGE — (VIA DI MONSERRATO). 

Close to S. Girolamo, on the opposite side of the street, 
is the Venerable English College, the home of so many 
martyrs, with a church dedicated to St. Thomas of Can- 
terbury. 

Originally a hospice for English pilgrims, founded by 
John and Alice Shepherd in the fourteenth century, and 
of which Cardinal Pole was at one time warden, (1) it was 



(1) ''After Henry VHI's rupture with the Holy See the number 
of pilgrims diminished, and ceased altogether under Elizabeth. A 
bishop and several other refugees for the Catholic faith lived here 
till 1578, when Gregory XIII converted it into a College. . . . It was, 
however, stipulated that should England once more become Catho- 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 391 

converted into a Seminary by Gregory XIII at the advice 
of Dr. (afterwards Cardinal) Allen in 1578 ; and in the 
following year the Pope confided it to the Jesuit Fathers, 
who remained till 1773. The famous Father K.obert Par- 
sons, S.J., the most active and indefatigable of all the 
leaders of English Catholics during the reign of Eliza- 
beth, was its Rector from 1597 till his death in 1610. 

A list of the students who left this College for the Eng- 
lish Mission under Pope Gregory XIII, very many of 
whom shed their blood for the faith (and were beatified 
in 1886), will be found in Foley's I(ecords of the English 
Province, S.J. Series v, p. 41 seq. 

Since the suppression of the Society of Jesus (1773), 
the College has ceased to be under the direction of the 
Jesuit Fathers ; the students, however, continue to attend 
the lectures of the Gregorian University. 

Cardinal Wiseman was a student at this College from 
1818 to 1824, and its Rector from 1828 to 1833 ; and the 
late Father John Morris, S.J., was its Vice-Rector from 
1853 to 1856. 

On St. Philip and the English students, see n. 316. 

St. Thomas of Canterbury in I(ome. 

In 1143, St. Thomas, a member of Archbishop Theo- 
bald's court and council, came with the Archbishop to 
Rome on business concerning the Church in England. 
*'It would be interesting to know," says Father J. Mor- 
ris, S.J., ''where St. Thomas lodged in the Eternal City; 
but we have nothing to guide us to the spot. The Eng- 
lish hospital (the munificent foundation of John and Alice 
Shepherd) was not founded for the next two hundred 
years. The Anglo Saxon establishment of Santo Spirito 
in Sassia, with which are connected the names of Ina, 
Ethelwolf, Alfred and Canute, still existed, but in great 



lie, the building should be restored to its original purpose. Many 
relics of the Catholic Church of England survive here — monuments 
to pre-^eformation English prelates, and in later years to such 
champions in times of persecution, as Father Parsons and Cardinal 
Allen." W. Ward. Life of Cardinal Wiseman, p. 13. 



8.92 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

poverty. The other English foundations were all of a 
later date than St. Thomas' visit." (Life of St. Thomas 
Becket, p. 19). 

The chapel of the English College marks the site of the 
ancient church dedicated to the Blessed Trinity in honor 
of St. Thomas, and the relics bearing marks of his mar- 
tyrdom are preserved in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, 
near the Holy Manger of Bethlehem. 

Note. — It was from this College too that the Vener- 
able Father K.obert Southwell, S.J., martyr, writing to 
Reverend Father Claude Aquaviva, General of the 
Society in 1585, spoke of the intense desire he felt to shed 
his blood for Christ. (1) 

312. — ST. MARIA DI MONSERRATO. 

St. Ignatius Teaching Catechism. 

A little beyond the English College is the national 
church of the Spaniards, built in the year 1495, and dedi- 
cated to our Lady of Montserrat. At the back of the 
choir is a loggia, where many of the monuments and 
fragments of sculpture taken from the church of S. Gia- 
como in Piazza Navona at the time of its transference to 
the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, are kept. Behind 
the high altar are the tombs of Alexander VI and 
Callixtus III. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola used to preach and catechize in 
this church. Pedro Ribadeneira, who usually accom- 
panied him, says in his life of the saint: '* I recall per- 
fectly the energy and earnestness with which Ignatius 
spoke. He appeared like one inflamed with the love of 
God, so that even when silent, his countenance moved 
his auditors, and he could do with them what he liked." 
As the saint's Italian was faulty and full of Spanish 
idioms, K.ibadeneira, then a boy, and not at all shy, sugges- 
ted it would be well to try and improve his Italian. The 
saint, with his wonted humility, answered: ''You are 
right, Pedro, so you must note down my mistakes when I 



(1) Foley. Records of the English Province. S. J. vol. I, p. 318. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 393 

^eak, and tell me of them afterwards." Pedro did his 
best, but said the faults were too many for him to note 
them all down. The saint smiled and said: ''Pedro, 
what can we do against God ? " meaning, '' How can I 
speak otherwise than as God enables me ? " And so he 
went on fascinating his hearers and winning them to God 
in spite of his poor Italian. 

313. — S. LUCIA DEL GONFALONE IN VIA MONSERRATO. 

In the same street is the church of S. Lucia del Gonfa- 
lone, which in the thirteenth century belonged to the 
Abbey of St. Blase (Biagio) della Pagnotta, but was made 
over to the archconfraternity del Gonf alone in 1264, and 
rebuilt by that pious association in 1700. This confra- 
ternity, the first of its kind in Rome, was instituted by St. 
Bonaventure in the year 1264, and derived its name 
Gonf alone from a large banner which the members carried 
in their processions. They met daily in the church for 
certain devotions in honor of the Mother of God, and per- 
formed various works of mercy. Besides the church of 
S. Lucia, they owned the oratory of SS. Peter and Paul 
in the same street and the chapel of St. Helena in Ara 
Coeli. St. Bonaventure also established at Lyons a pious 
confraternity called Del Gonfalone, like the one he had 
instituted at Rome. 

A side street to the left leads to the Via Giulia, at the 
north end of which, in the direction of Ponte S. Angelo, 
is the handsome church of S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini. 

314. — S. GIOVANNI DEI FIORENTINI, NEAR PONTE 
S. ANGELO. 

Close to the Tiber is the national church of the Tus- 
cans, built in 1488, the expense being defrayed by the 
city of Florence. Michael Angelo prepared several 
plans, but all had to be set aside for want of means. At 
length the work was entrusted to Giacomo della Porta. 



394 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Under the high altar, which was erected by the Falconieri 
family, are the bodies of SS. Protus and Hyacinthus, 
martyrs. The church has some fine paintings, viz., St. 
Jerome, praying, by Santi Titi and St. Jerome writing, by 
Cigoli (in third chapel, right aisle) ; SS. Cosmas and 
Damian condemned to martyrdom, a splendid work by 
Salvator R^osa (in fifth chapel, right aisle) ; St. Francis of 
Assisi, by Santi Titi (in fourth chapel, left aisle). The 
Chapel of the Crucifix was decorated by Lanfranco. 

In 1564 St. Philip Neri was invited to become the head 
of a confraternity of ten Florentine priests established by 
Papal authority at this church. He refused to leave S. 
Girolamo della Carita, but at the request of Pope Pius IV 
he consented to direct the confraternity, though still re- 
siding at his old home, and drew up for them a few rules 
and constitutions. Twice a day they went to S. Girolamo, 
either to confess to the saint, or for conferences and 
other spiritual exercises. The saint also caused three of 
his disciples, Baronius, Bordino and Fideli, to be ordained, 
and sent them with two others to live at S. Giovanni. 
Tarugi, Angelo Velli and others joined later. The saint 
dated the foundation of his Oratory from this period, 1564, 
and eleven years later obtained Pope Gregory XIII's ap- 
probation of the Congregation. (1) It was a beautiful sight 
to see the charity that reigned among these first Fathers 
of the Oratory at S. Giovanni : all had but one heart, one 
will, one mind ; they seemed more like angels than men. 
All were to be ready for the humblest duties at the word 
of the Superior, and each took his turn for a week at the 
office of cook. 

Baronius and Tarugi were made Cardinals in 1596, a 
year after St. Philip's death. 



(1) The Oratorians in Italy are called Philippini : they are not re- 
ligious bound by vows, but secular priests living in communities. 
They were called Oratorians, because at certain hours every morn- 
ing and afternoon, by ringing a bell, they called the people to 
the church to prayers and meditation. (Alban Butler, May 26.) 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 395 

315.— S. MARIA IN VALLICELLA, OR CHIESA NUOVA. 
St. Philip'' s Church in Corso Vittorio Emanuele. 

In 1575 Pope Gregory XIII bestowed on St. Philip 
for his Oratory the ancient church of our Lady in Valli- 
cella, which was at once rebuilt on a larger and grander 
scale through the munificence of the Pope and of Cardi- 
nal Cesi, and consecrated in 1577. Thenceforth it was 
commonly known as "The New Church," ''La Chiesa 
Nuova." St. Philip, however, continued to live at S. 
Girolamo six years longer, and only at the Pope's express 
wish did he consent to leave a home so dear to him, to 
come and live at S. Maria in Vallicella. This was on St. 
Cecilia's feast in the year 1583. 

It is said that while the new church was being built, St. 
Philip in a vision saw our Lady preventing a heavy beam, 
one end of which was detached from the wall, from fall- 
ing and crushing some of the workmen. 

Here the saint spent the last twelve years of his life, his 
beautiful soul living in perpetual communion with our 
divine Lord, His Blessed Mother and the angels. He 
could scarcely restrain his raptures and ecstasies in pres- 
ence of the Blessed Sacrament, and at Holy Mass he 
seemed like a seraph descended from heaven. Both S. 
Girolamo and Vallicella will retain forever something of 
the sweet fragrance of St. Philip's virtues. 

The exterior of the church is of the barocco style and 
unattractive. The interior is richly decorated, the paint- 
ings on the ceiling and in the dome being the work of 
Pietro da Cortona. The high altar, which has four col- 
umns of pietra santa, covers the remains of SS. Papias 
and Maurus, martyrs, translated from S. Adriano, in the 
Forum, in 1590, St. Philip being almost beside himself 
v/ith joy at this translation (n. 159). The pictures above 
and on the sides of the altar were painted by I^ubens in 
his youth — our Lady, with angels, being represented in 
the centre ; SS. Gregory, Maurus and Papias on the 
right; SS. Domitilla, Nereus and Achilleus on the left. 



396 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The heads of the two last martyrs are preserved and ven- 
erated in this church. 

On the left of the sanctuary is the Chapel of St. Philip y 
where the saint's body lies in a rich shrine of lapis lazuli 
and gold. Above the altar is a mosaic copy of Guido 
Item's portrait of the saint, the original of which is kept 
in the priests' house. 

The room where he died, on the feast of Corpus Christi, 
1595, may be visited on application to the sacristan. A 
description of it will be found in another chapter. 

Cardinal Wiseman says that in the jubilee of 1825 he 
saw Leo XII walk barefoot, with only sandals on his 
feet, from the Vatican to the Chiesa Nuova. (1) 

Cardinal Newman, while in Rome in 1847, received 
holy orders at the hands of Cardinal Franzoni, and soon 
after determined to enter the oratory, or congregation, of 
St. Philip, ** whose bright and beautiful character had, " 
as he tells us, ''won his love and admiration even when 
he was a Protestant." 

The large residence of the Fathers is now used by the 
government as a central criminal court, only a few rooms 
being left for those who serve the church. 

316.— ST. PHILIP AND ENGLAND. 

St. Philip felt a deep interest and affection for poor 
England, torn away from the unity of the Catholic faith. 
Father Christopher Greene, S.J., in the year 1650 and 
1666 made diligent inquiries among the ancient Oratorian 
Fathers at Chiesa Nuova and S. Girolamo, concerning 
certain traditions connected with the saint, viz., that he 
always expressed great pleasure at seeing^ the scholars of 
the English College, that he often stopped^to salute them, 
and give them proofs of his affection ; that it was 
observed, the scholars whom he embraced with particular 
joy in his countenance were afterwards martyrs or illus- 
trious confessors of the faith ; that it ^was customary, 
before the scholars left for the English mission, to have 



(1) Recollections of the Last Four Popes, pp. 283, 284. 




THE ROMAN COLLEGE. 284. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 397 

this holy man's blessing ; that one was known to have 
refused going, out of some contempt for the aged saint, 
but that he had not been long in England before he 
shamefully apostatized. Father C. Greene found these 
traditions to be well supported. (1) 

R. Hutton, in his Hfe of Cardinal Newman (p. 193), 
says it was the naturalness, the geniality, the innocent 
mirth and the social charm of St. Philip Neri that made 
Dr. Newman so anxious to found an English branch of 
the same congregation. 

As we leave S. Maria in Vallicella we may recall a say- 
ing of St. Philip's, '* O God, seeing that Thou art so in- 
finitely lovable, why hast Thou given me but one heart to 
love Thee with, and that so little and so narrow ? " 



(1) See The gambler, July, 1853, p. 31. Oliver's English Jesuits^ 
p. 106. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

From the Forum of Trajan to the Corso and 
THE PiNciAN Hill. 

317. — THE FORUM OF TRAJAN — PERSECUTION OF 
TRAJAN. 

The Forum of Trajan, which is an artificial hollow be- 
tween the Capitol and the Quirinal, represents a stupen- 
dous feat of engineering, a hill 140 feet high having been 
cleared away by that emperor, so as to facilitate commun- 
ication between the different parts of the city. The col- 
umn shows the height of the hill that was levelled. The 
present square is but a fourth part of the original forum. 
The broken columns and other ruins we see at present, 
belonged to the Basilica Ulpia, a splendid edifice erected 
by Trajan, where two hundred years later Constantine in 
presence of the senate aad people openly professed his 
faith in Christianity, and invited the senators to follow his 
example in embracing that religion. He further declared 
that thenceforth Christians were to be free to have public 
churches, which should enjoy all the privileges hitherto 
conceded to pagan temples (n. 40). 

A description of the seven different sections which the 
Forum comprised, viz.: the triumphal arch, the square it- 
self, the BasiHca Ulpia, the Bibliotheca Ulpia, the two 
hemicycles, the monumental column, and the temple of 
Trajan — will be found in Lanciani's Ancient Ifome. ** The 
ensemble of these various sections was considered not only 
the masterpiece of Roman architecture of the golden age, 
but one of the marvels of the world." The area was 
adorned with numerous statues ; on all sides were groups 
in bronze and marble representing Trajan's most illustri- 
ous actions ; ''the balustrades and cornices of the whole 
398 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 399 

mass of buildings flamed with gilded images of arms and 
horses." (Merivale). 

Ammianus Marcellinus (xvi. 10) tells us that the Em- 
peror Constantius ''was struck with admiration at this 
most marvellous invention of human genius, and looked 
round with amazement, without being able to utter a 
word, wondering at the gigantic structures, which no pen 
can describe, and which mankind can create and see only 
once in the course of centuries.'' 

The beautiful Column of Trajan, erected by the senate 
and people of Rome A.D. 114, "is composed of thirty- 
four blocks of marble, and is covered with a spiral band 
of bas-reliefs illustrative of the Dacian wars. It was for- 
merly crowned by a statue of Trajan, holding a gilt globe, 
— which had long fallen from its pedestal before Sixtus 
V replaced it by the existing figure of St. Peter." 
(Aug. Hare.) 

Trajan, the greatest military commander of his age, 
is praised by historians as the best of Roman princes, as 
one of the greatest men that paganism produced, remark- 
able both for his ability and for his goodness. It is suffi- 
cient to say here, that his goodness extended not to the 
Christians. His answer to the younger Pliny, Governor 
of Bith)^nia, that " the Christians must not be sought 
out, but if denounced, they must abjure faith in Christ or 
be prosecuted," left the poor Christians at the mercy of 
provincial governors and of the Jewish and pagan popu- 
lace. From the ninth year of his reign he became a 
fierce persecutor ; his maxim concerning the Christians was, 
either sacrifice or die. In this, the third great Persecution 
of the Church, three Popes suffered martyrdom, viz.: St. 
Clement, St. Evaristus and St. Alexander. St. Ignatius, 
the great Bishop of Antioch, was torn to pieces by lions 
in the Coliseum ; St. Simeon of Jerusalem, a relative of 
our Blessed Lord and a descendant of the royal house of 
David, was crucified. 



The north end of the Forum, where once stood the 
temple of Trajan, is now occupied by two octagonal 



400 PILGRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

churches, dedicated the one to the Holy Name of Mary ^ 
the other to our Lady of Loretto. The former belongs to 
a famous confraternity, which counts many illustrious 
names among its members past and present, one being 
that of Cardinal Charles Odescalchi, who laid aside the 
dignity of cardinal to enter into the Society of Jesus, and 
died in the odor of sanctity in 1841. Every year till 
1870, on the feast of the holy Name of Mary {i.e., on the 
Sunday within the octave of her Nativity) the members 
of this confraternity walked in procession to the church 
of S. Maria della Vittoria, entering the courtyard of the 
Quirinal palace on their way, to receive the Pope's bless- 
ing. 

318.— THE CHURCH OF THE APOSTOLI. 

The street near S. Maria di Loreto leads to the Via 
Nazionale, on the opposite side of which are the piazza 
and church of the Apostoli. This is one of the largest 
rehgious edifices of Rome, and has belonged to the Con- 
ventual Friars for many centuries. The original building, 
begun by Pelagius I in the sixth century, was completed 
by his successor John III (564), and restored by Stephen 

V (891), who placed a great number of relics in the Con- 
fession, and among them the remains of S.S. Chrysanthus 
and Daria. In 1348 the church was so badly damaged 
by an earthquake, that it had to be abandoned till Martin 

V (Colonna) restored it in 1420. That Pope had his pal- 
ace near the church, probably where the Colonna palace 
now stands. 

The present building dates only from 1702, and retains 
nothing of the ancient one except the porch. 

The interior is impressive from its vastness and its 
rich decorations. On the ceilings are frescoes by Odazzi 
and Bacciccio, greatly admired by artists. In 1873, the 
confession or crypt was altered and made to resemble a 
catacomb, with loculi, inscriptions and mural paintings, 
an arrangement which Marucchi qualifies as a solecism 
in archaeology, for the catacombs were never inside the 
city walls. During these alterations the bodies of SS. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROMK. 401 

Philip and James, Apostles, were discovered in a sar- 
cophagus of beautiful transparent marble, which was 
placed in the part of the crypt under the high altar. 

Two Popes, Sixtus V (Felice Perretti), and Clement 
XIV (Lorenzo Ganganelli) were conventual friars of this 
community before their elevation to the cardinalate. 
Fra Perretti was a famous pulpit orator, and his sermons 
attracted immense crowds. Clement XIV was the Pope 
who suppressed the Society of Jesus in 1773, through 
fear of a great schism, threatened by the Bourbon courts 
of Spain, Portugal, France and Naples. His monument, 
by Canova, maybe seen over the entrance to the sacristy. 

James, ''the old Pretender," father of Prince Charles 
and of Henry, Cardinal Duke of York, died in the palace 
at the end of the piazza^ and his body lay in state in this 
church for five days, crowned, sceptred and in royal 
robes, after which it was buried in the crypt of St. Peter's, 
A.D. 1766. 

319. — PALAZZO DI VENEZIA — CHURCH OF S. MARCO. 

Returning to the Via Nazionale we enter the Piazza di 
Venezia, the central station for the electric cars of the 
city. On one side is the large castellated Palace of 
Venice, built by Paul II (1464-1471), as a healthier home 
for the Popes in the summer heat. It was not long, how- 
ever, a Papal Palace, for a better site was chosen on the 
Quirinal Hill, and this fortress-Hke place was presented 
to the Republic of Venice, when, after the Council of 
Trent, that State had been the first to set the example of 
bestowing a palace on the Nuncio. 

In this palazzo di Venezia Pope Paul III signed the 
Bull F(egimini militantis, whereby the Society of Jesus was 
constituted a ReHgious Order, on September 27, 1540. 

On the opposite side of the piazza there stood, till 
April, 1902, the palace of the Torlonias, a family whose 
greatest glory is their fidelity to the Pope in all his 
troubles. 

Beyond the square is the national monument of Victor 
Emmanuel, voted by Parliament in July, 1880. The 



402 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

original estimate was eight million francs, but it will prob- 
ably cost some twenty-seven million before it is finished. 
To provide room for it the Franciscan monastery of Ara 
Coeli, with the rooms of St. Bernardine of Sienna, St. 
John Capistran and St. Diego was nearly all destroyed. 



At the back of the palazzo di Venezia, but entered by 
a side door from the piazza, is the rich and beautiful 
Church of 5. Marco (St. Mark), which dates from the 
fourth century, and is mentioned in the acts of the coun- 
cil held by Pope St. Symmachus, in 499. Adrian I 
restored it towards the end of the eighth century, and 
Cardinal Quirini reduced it to its present form in 1727. 
The handsome renaissance portico is the work of Paul II 
(1465), the Pope who built the palace. Some ancient in- 
scriptions (two of which refer to Madonna della Strada) 
are let into the side walls. The interior has a rich appear- 
ance, with its marble pavement, its gilded ceiling and 
its twenty columns of Sicilian jasper. Beneath the high 
altar are the bodies of St. Mark the Evangelist, and Pope 
St. Mark (d. ?)?)(y), in a shrine of gray marble enriched 
with bronzes. The church also possesses the remains of 
the Persian martyrs, SS. Abdon and Sennen, slain near 
the CoHseum, and a rich treasury of relics, exposed on 
the Lenten Station day. The mosaics of the apse were 
executed in the ninth century for Pope Gregory IV, who 
had been a canon of this church. 

The famous picture of our Lady della Strada was kept 
here for some fourteen years, while the church of the 
Gesii was being built (n. 283). 

St. Dominic was wont to preach in this church, where 
crowds of all ranks flocked to hear him. Among them 
one of his most constant auditors was a certain Roman 
widow, Tuta de' Buvaleschi, whose dead child the saint 
restored to life (n. 193). 

St. Ignatius of Loyola obtained Paul Ill's leave to 
transfer to this church the parochial rights and duties of 
S. Maria della Strada, when the latter church was given 
to the society. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 403 

320. — THE CORSO — FORMER CONVENT OF ST. CYRIACUS. 

The Corso, the most frequented street in Rome, 
extends from the piazza di Venezia to the Porta del 
Popolo, a distance of nearly a mile, along the course of 
the ancient Via Flaminia. The triumphal arches of 
Marcus Aurelius, Domitian, Claudius and Gordian, which 
it once counted among its attractions, have been removed 
centuries ago. The first palace on our left as we enter 
the street is that of the Bonapartes, and next to it is the 
handsome palace of the Doria Pamfili family. The site 
of these two buildings was once covered by a large con- 
vent (1) of Benedictine nuns, and a lesser one connected 
with it. The first convent was founded long centuries 
ago in honor of St. Stephen the Pope, and then, when 
the head of the great Roman martyr, St. Cyriacus{2), 
became its property, it was rededicated to that martyr. 
It ranked first among the Roman convents for its wealth, 
the high birth of its nuns, and the dignity of its abbess. 

Unfortunately in the troubles of after ages both con- 
vents fell into decay, and Nicholas V, who was reigning 
in 1450, found them in such a desolate state that he made 
them over bodily to the church of Santa Maria in Via 
Lata, revenues, relics and all, at least that portion of 
them which still remained. The Cardinal Deacons of the 
church made the convent their home, and from one of 
them, who was a Doria, the site passed by purchase to 
the Doria family. The head of St. Cyriacus is still pre- 
served in the church of Santa Maria. 

321. — S. MARIA IN VIA LATA — ST. PAUL'S PRISON. 

This is one of the most attractive of the smaller 
churches of the city. The handsome fagade was de- 
signed by Pietro da Cortona for Alexander VII, in 1662 ; 
the church itself was built at an unknown period on the 



(1) Monastero in Italy means a house for women, and cofivento a 
house for men. 

(2) The ancient church of St. Cyriacus stood on the Alta Semita. 
The site is covered by the modern Ministero delle Finanze. 



404 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

ruins of the Septa Julia (1), and restored by Sergius I in 
the seventh century, and by Innocent VIII in the fifteenth. 
The interior is rich and beautiful with noble altars and 
with columns of Sicilian jasper. Alexander VII trans- 
ferred to this church the Lenten Station of S. Cyriaciis in 
Thermis. (2) Besides the head of St. Cyriacus, the 
church possesses the bodies of SS. Largus, Smaragdus 
and companions, martyrs, and many other precious relics. 
Pius IX was at one time a canon of this church, and a 
bust to his memory has been placed near the altar at the 
end of the right aisle. 

A Roman tradition, dating from the tenth century, 
points to the crypt of this church as the house where St. 
Paul lived a prisoner for two years. Marucchi thinks the 
tradition inadmissible, because it reaches back no further 
than the tenth century, and because it is not likely that a 
private house would have been built within the precincts 
of the Septa Julia. He conjectures that the place of cus- 
tody was somewhere near the Pretorian camp. But if this 
crypt was the actual prison, as the tradition of a thou- 
sand years would have us believe, then it was here 
that the great apostle converted Onesimus : here that he 
received the alms of the Philippians brought by Epaphro- 
ditus ; here that he wrote several of his epistles ; here 
that he preached the Cross of Christ with such startling 
eloquence that many of R.ome's noblest citizens came to 
listen to him. His words, powerful in themselves, were 
rendered still more impressive by the sight of the iron 
chains that fettered his venerable form, and the presence 
of the rough military guard, who never left his side. 

322.— ST. MARCELLUS IN CORSO. 

This venerable sanctuary, one of the oldest titiili 
(parishes) of the city, is said to date its origin from the 

(1) The Septa Julia were covered porticoes for the use of the 
l<oman people, begun by Julius Caesar, and finished by Agrippa in 
the year 27 B.C. 

(2) During the building of the new Ministero delle Finanze, 
some remains of this martyr's ancient church were found. 




THE CEILING OF S. IGNAZIO. 285. 
(Pozzi, S.J.) 



PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 405 

year 308, when Pope St. Marcellus here opened an oratory 
in the house of a devout lady, Lucina, widow of Pinianus. 
Tradition has it that the tyrant Maxentius (afterwards 
defeated by Constantine in 312) desecrated this sacred 
spot, ordering the horses of the public carriers {cata- 
bulejtses) to be stabled here, and condemning Marcellus 
to the degrading duties of stable work. The venerable 
Pontiff, " wretchedly clad and wearing a hair shirt, worked 
in the vile service of the animals " (St. Damasus). His 
austerities and the brutal treament he suffered soon ex- 
hausted his strength ; he sank under his hardships and 
privations in the year 310 and was buried in the cemetery 
of St. Priscilla. 

The oratory was enlarged into a church in the fifth 
century, and thither, four centuries later, St. Marcellus' 
remains were translated together with those of Pope 
Vigilius. His body still lies under the high altar. 

The church was rebuilt by Adrian I (772-795) and pre- 
sented by Gregory XI to the Order of the Servites, in 
1375. (1) 

In 1519 the building was destroyed by fire : the present 
edifice, which retains nothing of the ancient one, dates 
only from the seventeenth century. The facade is poor. 
The interior consists of a broad nave with side chapels, 
the nave terminating in an apse. 

In the third chapel on the right is the tomb of Cardinal 
Thomas Weld, who died in 1838. In the fourth chapel 
on the same side is a miraculous crucifix that was found 
uninjured amid the burning ashes after the fire of 1519. 
The chapel is adorned with frescoes by Del Vaga and 
Da Volterra, and has the tomb of Cardinal Gonsalvi, the 
illustrious Secretary of State under Pius VII. 

In the third chapel on the opposite side is a statue of 
our Lady of Dolors, greatly venerated. 

The monastery of the Religious was declared State 
property after 1870, and is used as a central police court. 

(1) The Order of the Servites, or Servants of Mary, was founded at 
Florence by seven saints about the year 1223. From its very birth 
it has never ceased to promote everywhere devotion to the Dolors 
of our Lady. 



406 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

323.— THE NORTH AMERICAN COLLEGE— AMERICA'S 
HOLY ONES. 

In the first side street on our right, after leaving S. 
Marcello (the Via deli' Umilta), stands the North Ameri- 
can College, founded by Pope Pius IX in 1859. The 
extensive buildings had been occupied for over a century 
by the Visitation Nuns, who migrated to the Palatine 
about 1850 in search of greater retirement. The church 
is small but beautiful, with rich marble altars and a valu- 
able painting of the Madonna. In the domestic chapel 
the oak choir- stalls of the former inmates are still used by 
the students. There are two courtyards, one of which 
has a pleasant garden with waving palms and numerous 
orange trees, imparting freshness and beauty to the in- 
terior. The students, some eighty in number, attend the 
lectures at the Propaganda. (1) 

It will interest American pilgrims to know that the 
cause for beatification has been, or is about to be intro- 
duced of the following servants of God, who crowned a 
life of heroic virtue by a holy death (some by martyrdom) 
in North America. 

1. Venerable John Nepomucene Neumann, C. SS. R. 
Bishop of Philadelphia, d. 1860. 

2. Reverend Father de Andreis, Vicar-General of St. 
Louis, d. 1820. 

3. Reverend Father Solon, of New Orleans, d. 1885. 

4. Reverend Father Seelos, of Pittsburg, d. 1867. 

5. The Right Rev. Bishop Baraga, Apostle of the 
Chippewa Indians. 

6. Father Isaac Jogues, S.J., m. 1646. (2) 

7. Rene Goupil, d. 1642. 

8. Catherine Tegakwita, d. 1680. 

9. Madame Duchesne, of the Religieuses du Sacre 
Coeur. 



(1) Some interesting notes on the early history of the college will 
be found in The Messenger of 1896, pp. 53, 138, seq. 

(2) See The Messenger of 1896, p. 797, seq. 



PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 407 

10. Father Gabriel Lallemand, S.J. 1 ^^ 

11. Father John Breboeuf. S.J. - Cana^L 1649. 

12. Father Anthony Daniel, S.J. ) 

Note. — The South American students have a noble 
college in the Prati di Castello on the Tiber embankment 
near Ponte Margherita. It was opened in 1887, their 
previous home having been the Jesuit Novitiate of S. 
Andrea in Quirinale. 



R.eturning to the Corso, we follow the narrow thorough- 
fare towards the Piazza Colonna. It is worth while turn- 
ing aside up the Via de Muratte (the fourth side street 
from S. Marcello) to see the wonderful fountain of Trevi, 
erected by Clement XII in 1735. 

The water, Acqua Vergine, is the best in Rome, and is 
conveyed from a source far beyond the walls, by subter- 
ranean aqueducts, fourteen miles in length. 

The design of the fountain is original and striking. 
Amid a mass of rocks Neptune is seen on a shell chariot, 
drawn by sea-horses guided by Tritons. Over the central 
rock the water falls in a broad cascade, and is received in 
a broad marble basin, while numerous rills and jets escape 
from crevices on all sides. 

324. — PIAZZA COLONNA. 

This large square, a pleasing break in the narrow Corso, 
has on its north side the Palazzo Chigi, on its south the 
Palazzo Ferrajuoli, on the west a large building (the for- 
mer Post Office), with a portico of Ionic columns from Veii, 
and on the east a waste space, where formerly stood the 
Palazzo Piombini. 

The column of Marcus Aurelius has been described 
above (n. 37, The Antonine Pillar.) To the left of the 
column is a small church, dedicated to our Lady of Mercy 
{Madonna della Pieta), interesting because of the frequent 
visits of Venerable Maria Anna Taigi, who here spent 
long hours in prayer and bedewed the pavement with her 
tears. The street beyond it leads to S. Maria in Aqtiiro, 



408 PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROME. 

where there is an orphanage for boys, one of St. Ignatius' 
foundations. 

At the northeast corner of the square, where it is en- 
tered from the Via Tritone, stands the church of S. Maria 
in Via, built in 1253, to receive a picture of our Lady that 
was found in a well of Cardinal Capocci's house. The 
well and picture may still be seen in the first chapel on 
the right. Leo X presented the church to the Servites, 
who rebuilt it on a larger scale. Venerable Cardinal 
Bellarmine took from it his title in the Sacred College. 

Close to S. Maria in Via, is the little church of S. 
Claiidio, where the Blessed Sacrament is perpetually ex- 
posed for adoration. 

325. — S. SILVESTRO IN CAPITE. 

Church of the English-speaking Catholics. 

The second side street on the right (1) after leaving the 
Piazza Colonna, leads to a square, in which rises the ven- 
erable church of S. Silvestro in Capite, erected, together 
with a monastery for Basilian monks, by Paul I i^^l- 
767), on the site of his own house. The ancient atrium or 
entrance court is still preserved, but the church has been 
several times altered and rebuilt. In the portico will be 
noticed some ancient inscriptions referring to the relics of 
saints deposited in the church. The interior has a rich 
and devotional appearance. The chief relics are the head 
of St. Sylvester, Pope, the bodies of Popes SS. Dionysius, 
Zephyrinus and of St. Tarcisius, the boy martyr of the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

The head of St. John Baptist, preserved here since the 
thirteenth century, was removed to the Vatican in 1870, 
together with the famous portrait of our Lord, said to 
have belonged to Abgar, King of Edessa. (2) 

A tragic event occurred here about the year 815. Dur- 
ing a public procession (for the l^ogations), Pope St. 



(1) Via delle Convertite. 

(2) Eusebius speaks of Abgar's letter to our Lord, but says noth- 
ing of the portrait. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 409 

Leo III was attacked by Paschal the Primicerius or master 
of the palace, Campulo, Marius di Nepe and some other 
ruffians. They cast the Pope on the ground, stripped off 
his sacred vestments, beat him with stones, dragged him 
into the church of S. Silvestro, and there tore out his 
eyes and tongue. A monk named Equmenus at their 
bidding took him that night to the monastery of St. 
Erasmus. This barbarous deed has been mentioned 
above (n. 60), where it was stated that the Pope was 
miraculously cured at St. Erasmus near S. Stefano 
Rotondo. 

The Basilian monks established here by Paul I were 
succeeded some centuries later by Benedictines : and in 
1277 the monastic buildings were given to the poor Clares, 
who remained till 1849, when they were driven out with 
great brutality by the apostate priest Gavazzi and others 
to make room for Garibaldi and 1,300 of his red-shirted 
followers. (1) The nuns were again ejected in 1871, 
v/hen part of the convent was converted into a post and 
telegraph office, and another part into the ministerial 
offices of public works. 

The church is served by the Pallotine Fathers. 

326. — S. LORENZO IN LUCINA, IN A SQUARE OFF THE 

CORSO. 

The church is of very ancient origin, and is thought to 
have been originally the house of a Christian lady named 
Lucina and to have been converted by her into an oratory. 
Sixtus III enlarged the edifice into a church about the year 
435, but before that it was a sanctuary of some impor- 
tance, for Pope St. Damasus was elected here in 366. (2) 
It is mentioned in the council of Symmachus, A.D. 499, 
and had a Lenten Station attached to it in the sixth cen- 
tury. Rebuilt in the twelfth century, it was seized by the 



(1) Fr. Boero. " La Revoluzione Romanaal Giudizio degli Impar- 
ziali." p. 272, seq. 

(2) His opponent, Ursinus, was elected anti-Pope in S. Maria in 
Trastevere. 



410 PILGRIM-WAI^KS IN ROME. 

anti-Pope Anacletus II (1) in 1130, who consecrated it 
and enriched it with many relics. (See inscription in the 
portico.) Celestine III reconsecrated it in 1176, and added 
to its treasury of relics. Sixtus V gave it to the minor- 
ites of St. Francis Carraciolo, v/ho rebuilt it in 1650, leav- 
ing nothing of the ancient edifice but the porch and 
belfry ; on which occasion an ancient picture of our Lady 
was discovered and placed over the high altar ; also a 
disused well was found in the nave, where the bodies of 
several martyrs had been hidden. 

The chief relics of the church are (a) the bodies of SS. 
Pontianus, Eusebius, Vincentius, Pellegrinus, martyrs, 
placed under the high altar by Paschal II in 1112; (d) a 
part of the gridiron on which St. Laurence suffered ; also 
the chain with which he was bound ; (c) the bodies of St. 
Felicola and St. Francis Carraciolo and the head of St. 
Alexander. 

Over the high altar is Guido Reni's masterpiece, a 
painting of the crucifixion. 

Near the second chapel, on the right, is the tomb of 
Nicolas Poussin (d. 1665), with a monument erected by 
Chateaubriand. 



The Corso between Piazza S. Lorenzo and Via della 
Vite was formerly spanned by the triumphal arcA of Mar- 
cus Aurelius^ which was ornamented with columns of 
verde antico and bas-reliefs. As it was an obstacle to the 
traffic in so narrow a street, Alexander VII ordered its 
demolition. The columns were transferred to the Corsini 
chapel in the Lateran, and the bas-reliefs are preserved 
in the palace of the Conservatori on the capitol. 

327.— S. CARLO IN CORSO. 

The National Church of the Lombards. 

An ancient church of S. Nicola del Tufo, which form- 
erly stood in this part of the Corso, was given to the 

(1) This anti-Pope (Pietro Pierleone) drove Pope Innocent II out 
of Rome and proceeded to perform many sacrilegious acts, among 
them the consecration of this church in 1130. The second council 
of the Lateran (1139) excommunicated him and annulled all his acts. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 411 

Lombards by Sixtus IV in 1471. In the sixteenth 
century it was restored and adorned with frescoes by Del 
Vaga and Taddeo Zuccari. About the year 1612 it was 
demoHshed to make room for the present edifice, designed 
by Lunghi and completed by Pietro Cortona. The facade, 
quite unworthy of the church, was designed by a Capu- 
chin. 

The interior is rich, vast and imposing. Over the high 
altar is one of Carlo Maratta's finest works, '* Our Lady 
presenting St. Charles Borromeo to her Divine Son." 

Among the greater relics are the heart of St. Charles 
Borromeo, his pectoral cross, and some linen marked with 
his blood. 

ST. CHARLES AND ENGLAND. 

It is stated in the life of St. Charles Borromeo that he 
always received with the greatest kindness those who 
were exiled from England on account of their faith. 
His vicar-general in the year 1563 was Thomas Goldwell, 
the Bishop of St. Asaph ; and another of his vicars was 
Owen Lewis, who remained in his family up to the time 
of the saint's death, at which he was present. 

In 1580 the saint received into his house Father Robert 
Parsons, Blessed Edmund Campion, S.J., and others on 
their way to England. The party were twelve in number, 
consisting of the two Jesuits and Ralph Emerson, a lay 
brother ; three priests of the EngHsh College, Blessed 
Ralph Sherwin, Blessed Luke Kirby, martyrs, and Edward 
Rishton ; two laymen, Thomas Briscoe and John Pascal ; 
also four priests from the old Saxon hospital. (1) At 
Milan St. Charles detained them at his residence for a 
week, conversing with them about the affairs of England, 
the fervor of the Catholics there, the persecutions they 
were suffering, etc., and he animated them with words of 
burning zeal to courage and constancy in their perilous 
undertaking. He felt a special attraction and admiration 
for Father Campion, both for his spirit and the sweetness 



(1) Foley. Records of English Province. S. J. series v, p. 18. 



412 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

which was so peculiar to him, and for his eloquence ; and 
he would not suffer a day to pass during their stay with- 
out hearing him preach or converse on some spiritual 
subject. 

328.— S. GIACOMO IN AUGUSTA. (1) 
Hospital of St. James for Incurables. 

In the thirteenth century a small church known as S, 
Maria in Augusta stood in this part of the Corso. Cardinals 
Giacomo Colonna and Pietro Colonna restored it in 1339, 
and founded the immense hospital adjoining it, which ex- 
tends from the Corso to the Via Ripetta. Patients suffering 
from loathsome and incurable diseases were to be received 
here and nursed with true Christian charity. Thence- 
forth the church was known as S. Giacomo. 

In 1451 the hospital was intrusted to the confraternity 
of S. Maria del Popolo by Nicholas V. In 1843 it was 
placed under the care of the K,eligious of St. John of God, 
known as Fatebene fratelli. 

St. Philip Neri frequently came to visit the sick in this 
home of charity, and by word and example encouraged 
his disciples, many of them nobly born, to conquer nat- 
ural repugnance in present:e of the more loathsome forms 
of disease, and to assist the sick, dressing their wounds, 
making their beds, cleaning their rooms, and soothing their 
pains with kind and charitable words. Father Tarugi, hav- 
ing come one morning to confession to him, Philip said 
to him : " What news is there of such a person ? " naming 
a woman in this hospital. '' Go and see her at once, and 
afterwards come to confession." Tarugi went and found 
the woman expiring, so he arrived just in time to help 
her through her last agony. 

St. Camiilus de LeUis was at one time the manager 
(economo) of this hospital, and his signature may be seen 
in the registers. (2) 



(1) In Augusta, i. <?., near the Mausoleum of Augustus, which is 
seen from the Via dei Pontefici close by. 

(2) Cardinal Morichini. Istituti di Caritd, c. iv. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 413 

329.— GESU E MARIA— CHURCH OF THE REFORMED 
AUSTIN FRIARS. 

A church dedicated to St. Anthony the Abbot, which 
stood on this site, was given to the discalced hermits of 
St. Augustine, who bought the adjoining property from 
the Orsini family with the Pope's leave in 1615. The 
present church was built by them in 1640. The interior 
is rich in marbles, bronzes and gilt stucco work. 

Cardinal Wiseman's name is associated with this church. 
Here, when a young priest at the English College, he 
preached a course of English sermons at the express wish 
of Leo XII. The Pope took special interest in these 
services for the English residents in I^ome, and sent a 
detachment of the Papal choir to render them more attrac- 
tive. 

On the religious Order of the Hermits of St. Augus- 
tine — the Austin Friars and the Canons of St. Austin — 
see Alban Butler's life of the Saint, Aug. 28, in the note. 

Father Boero, S. J., in the work quoted above (n. 325), 
tells us that in the revolution of 1849, an infidel mob tore 
the confessionals from this church and from S. Giacomo 
in Augusta and S. Maria del Popolo, dragged them to 
the piazza del Popolo, and there set fire to them, uttering 
foul and blasphemous insults against the Sacrament of 
Reconciliation. 

330. — PIAZZA DEL POPOLO. 

The twin octagonal churches that ** seem to guard like 
sentinels" this end of the Corso, are dedicated, the one 
to our Lady of Miracles^ the other to our Lady of Monte 
Santo. (1) They were built, it is said, to replace two 
chapels which once stood at the head of the bridge of S. 
Angelo, these chapels being demolished because, when 
Rome was sacked by the Lutheran soldiers in 1527, they 
had been used as outworks in besieging the castle. Alex- 



(1) Monte Santo was the name of a convent in Sicily whence the 
Carmelite Fathers, who serve the church, first came. 



414 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

ander VII began the twin churches, but died leaving the 
work unfinished. "A folk story tells how a poor old 
woman, who lived nearby, saved what she could for 
many years, and, dying, left 150 scudi to help the com- 
pletion of the buildings. Cardinal Gastaldi fulfilled the 
old woman's pious request." (Marion Crawford, Ave 
I(oma Immortalis, I, p. 259. 

The handsome square, Piazza del Popolo, is adorned 
with an obelisk rising from a base on which are four water- 
spouting lionesses. This obelisk was brought by Augus- 
tus from HeHopolis, and placed in the Circus Maximus 
between the Palatine and Aventine. Sixtus V removed it 
to its present site in 1589. 

The Porto del Popolo (Porta Flaminia) is interesting as 
being the gate by which so many saints (SS. Ignatius, 
Francis Xavier, Stanislaus, etc.,) first entered K.ome. 
From the Flaminian gate Cardinal Wiseman addressed 
his celebrated letter on Oct. 7, 1850, announcing the re- 
establishment of the Hierarchy in England, and his own 
appointment as Archbishop of Westminster. (1) Through 
this gate, April 18, 1580, passed Fr. Robert Persons, 
Blessed Edmund Campion, S.J., Blessed Ralph Sherwin 
and others, sent by Gregory XIII to face persecution and 
death on the English mission. (2) Their brethren in 
Rome accompanied them as far as Ponte MoUe, and there 
bade them an affectionate farewell. 

Just outside the gate is the entrance to the Villa Bor- 
ghese. About a mile from the gate is the catacomb of 
St. Valentine, opened only on his feast day. 

331. — NERO'S TOMB. 

Marion Crawford in his Ave I^oma Immortalis, vol. I, 
p. 258, has the following passage on Nero's tomb : " The 
last descendant of Julia, the last monster of the JuHan 
race, Nero, was buried at the foot of the Pincio. Alive, 
he was condemned by the Senate to be beaten to death 



(1) W. Ward. Life of CardH Wiseman^ vol. I, p. 541. 

(2) Foley. F(ecords of English Province, S. J. series, p. 18. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 415 

in the Comitium ; dead by his own hand, he received impe- 
rial honors, and his ashes rested for a thousand years where 
they had been laid by his two old nurses, . . . and 
during ten centuries the people believed that his terrible 
ghost haunted the hill, attended and served by thousands 
of demon-crows, that rested in the branches of the trees 
above his tomb, and flew forth to do evil at his bidding, 
till at last, Pope Paschal II cut down with his own hands 
the walnut trees which crowned the summit, and com- 
manded that the mausoleum should be destroyed and the 
ashes of Nero scattered to the winds, that he might build 
a church on the spot and dedicate it to S. Maria." 

332. — S. MARIA DEL POPOLO. 

The church was first built by Paschal II in 1099 on the 
occasion just described ; then restored and enlarged with 
the contributions of the K.oman people in 1227, (hence the 
name Del Popold) ; and finally re-erected by Sixtus IV, in 
1477, from the designs of Baccio Pintelli, The interior 
is rich in works of art. In the first and third chapels on 
the right are paintings by Pinturrichio, in the second 
chapel by Carlo Maratta, and in the second chapel on the 
opposite side, mosaics designed by K^aphael. The high 
altar has a miraculous picture of our Lady transferred 
from the chapel of our Saviour in the Lateran by Greg- 
ory IX (1227-1241), to which was ascribed the cessation 
of the plague in 1578. The ceiling of the tribune behind 
the high altar was decorated by Pinturrichio. There are 
several remarkable mediaeval tombs in the church and 
some interesting monum^ents in the sacristy. 

Among the religious treasures are the bodies of SS. 
Faustina and Priscus, martyrs, under the high altar, and a 
miraculous crucifix that is said to have spoken to St. 
Philip Neri. It is in the fourth chapel on the left side. 

Religions Memories of S. Maria del Pop o to. 

Pius II walked barefoot from the Vatican to this church, 
accompanied by all the Cardinals, to implore our Lady's 
protection in the war against the Turks. At the Porta 



416 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

del Popolo, on April 12, 1462, the same Pope, shedding 
tears of joy, received from the hands of Cardinal Bes- 
sarion, the head of St. Andrew, the Apostle, which had 
been brought from Constantinople. He placed the relic 
on the altar of S. Maria del Popolo, commanded several 
bishops to keep watch before it, and spent the night in 
the adjoining monastery. The next morning he carried 
it on foot from S. Maria to St. Peter's, amid extraor- 
dinary rejoicings of the people, and followed by a pro- 
cession of 30,000 persons. (1) 

St. Francis Borgia, S.J., prayed with ecstatic devotion 
in front of this church on a memorable occasion, a little 
before his death. See his life by A. M. Clarke, p. 420 
(''Quarterly series.") 

333. — MARTIN LUTHER — SACK OF ROME BY 
LUTHERANS. 

Martin Luther, who came to I^ome an Austin Friar, in 
1512, on some business connected with his monastery, 
stayed at the Augustinian Convent of S. Maria del Popolo. 
Some years later, just before his open rupture with the 
Church in 1520, he wrote to Pope Leo X in the following 
terms: ** Therefore, most Holy Father, prostrate at the 
feet of your Holiness, I place myself at your disposal 
v/ith all that I am and all that I have. Verily, kill, call, 
recall, approve, disapprove, as you please ; in your voice 
I will acknowledge the voice of Christ, who presides and 
speaks in you." Soon after, on hearing his condemna- 
tion, he broke asunder all the ties that bound him to the 
See of Rome. 



Seven years later, i. e., in 1527, Rome was invaded and 
plundered by the Lutherans. Pope Clement VH having 
shown that his sympathies were with France in its strug- 
gle against the Emperor Charles V, the German army of 
the latter, consisting chiefly of Lutheran soldiers, com- 
manded by the Constable Bourbon (who had deserted 



(1) De Bussierre. Les sept Basiliques de J^ome, p. 312, seq. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 417 

from the French King to the Emperor), marched on I(ome 
and took the holy city by assault on May 6, 1527. Bour- 
bon, after committing horrible excesses, was killed by a 
musket shot while scaling the wall. Philibert of Challons, 
Prince of Orange, then took command of the army, and 
allowed his Lutheran soldiers to kill, plunder and dese- 
crate at their own wild will. The Pope, Cardinals and 
nobility took refuge in the castle, S. Angelo. The Ger- 
man troops behaved more like demons than men, and 
were guilty of greater cruelties and excesses than had 
been committed by the Goths and Vandals a thousand 
years before. For two months the city was abandoned to 
these licentious and infuriated soldiers, who stole what- 
ever was valuable and desecrated whatever was holy. S. 
Maria del Popolo was among the churches plundered, but 
it is said, that the Duke of Alba succeeded in preventing 
them from entering the sanctuary. 

334.— THE PINCIAN HILL. 

The Pincio (1) is ascended from the Piazza del Popolo 
by a winding road lined with statues, trees and flowering 
shrubs. The hill was known to the ancient l^omans as 
Collis Hortoriim, "■ Hill of Gardens " (2), and many a noble 
palace graced its summit and slopes in the days of the 
Empire. At present it is a pleasant resort, with shady 
avenues, broad terraces, soft, grassy slopes, bright flower 
beds and numerous fountains splashing in marble basins. 
The walks are adorned with busts of celebrated Italians, 
a conspicuous place being given to the statue of Padre 
Secchi, S.J., the famous astronomer. From the project- 
ing terrace at the summit a splendid view of Rome is 
obtained. 

Of the historical memories of the Pincio it will be suffi- 
cient to mention one or two. 



(1) The name is derived from a palace of the Pincii, situated here 
in the later period of the Empire. 

(2) The principal gardens and palaces were Horti Acilii, Horti 
Pompeiani, Horti Lucullani. 



418 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The northern part of the hill was occupied by the pal- 
ace and gardens of the Acilii Glabriones, one of the noblest 
families of ancient R.ome. They claim special notice, as 
many members of this family were converted to Chris- 
tianity in the first century. Their sepulchral crypt was 
discovered in the catacomb of St. Priscilla, in 1888. Manius 
Acilius Giabrio, who had been consul with Trajan, inA.D. 
91, is thought to have been a Christian. He was accused 
of being molitor rerum novaruniy i.e.y a promoter of nov- 
elty in religion (the two last words corresponding to nova 
stiperstitio, applied to Christianity by Tacitus and Sueto- 
nius) and condemned by the Emperor Domitian to wrestle 
with two bears in the amphitheatre of Albanum. {Dion 
Cassius.) Victorious over the savage beasts, he was 
exiled and probably died a martyr. 

The Pincio was also the scene of the renewal of Nero's 
great fire in A.D. 64 (see n. 234). Half the city having 
been burnt down, the terrified populace, with no homes to 
shelter them, fled to the Campus Martius, where, in tem- 
porary huts, they lay huddled together maddened with 
terror and excitement. For six days the scourge had 
lasted, and ominous mutterings began to be heard among 
the crowd as to the real author of the disaster. Hardly 
had they began to recover from their first paralysis of 
terror, when the fire broke out anew, this time on the 
Pincio, the waves of flame rushing down through Tigel- 
linus' gardens, and enveloping the Viminal, Quirinal and 
part of the Campus Martius. Frantic with terror, the peo- 
ple fled from the city and sought shelter among the tombs 
along the public roads, uttering curses on the emperor. 

33S. — TRINITA DE'MONTI. 

Passing by the Villa Medici, in front of which is a foun- 
tain shaded by ilexes, framing a distant view of St. 
Peter's, we reach Trinita de'Monti, a church and monas- 
tery erected by Charles VHI, of France, in 1495, at the 
request of St. Francis de Paula. The saint's Religious, 
known as Minims, occupied this monastery until the 



PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 419 

French revolution, when it was plundered and had to be 
abandoned. The Dames du Sacre Coeur have been estab- 
lished here since 1827. 

The church has some good paintings, the chief being 
Da Volterra's '' Descent from the Cross," a masterpiece, 
declared by Nicholas Poussin to be the third picture in the 
world. In a corridor of the convent is the well known pic- 
ture of Mater Admirabilis. 

Fr. Thurston, S.J., quotes from a report of the Vene- 
tian ambassador in K.ome (written in 1575), some interest- 
ing particulars about Trinita dei Monti during the Jubilee 
of that year. "■ Whole populations from the villages and 
even towns of the Pontifical States came to the holy city. 
Three and four thousand were seen traveling together. 
One hospital, that of the Trinita dei Monti, where poor 
pilgrims were harbored three days, lodged and fed 250,- 
000 people with an admirable order, and without even 
wanting more than what money had been collected in 
alms for this purpose." (1) 

The Obelisk in front of the church once adorned the 
gardens of Sallust (n. 345). 

336.— FIRST HOUSE OF ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA IN" 
ROME — NEAR TRINITI DEI MONTI. 

The saint came to the Eternal City in October, 1537, 
with two of his companions, Blessed Peter Faber and 
Father James Lainez. 

In Lent, 1538, they were living in a small house on the 
Pincio, not far from the church of Trinita dei Monti, the 
use of which had been given them out of charity by 
Quirino Garzonio, the proprietor. About Easter, 1538, 
they were joined by the other First Fathers of the Society, 
among them being St. Francis Xavier. The magnificent 
flight of stairs leading up from the Piazza di Spagna was 
not yet in existence. In its place a country road wound 
up the hillside between vineyards and market gardens. 



(1) The Holy Year of Jubilee, p. 93. 



420 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The house where the two saints and the other Fathers 
Hved was near this road, probably on the slope overlook- 
ing the present Piazza di Spagna. The house being too 
small for their number, they left it, in the summer of 1538, 
for a more convenient one in the heart of the city. From 
the terrace of the Pincian Hill, St. Ignatius and St. Fran- 
cis must often have looked down on the Holy City, which 
lay spread out at their feet, with its countless churches, 
its noble palaces, its mediaeval towers and historic monu- 
ments. Full in front was St. Peter's, then being rebuilt, 
and a little to the right the castle of Saint Angelo, with 
the archangel on its summit. Beyond the city wall lay 
the mysterious Campagna, stretching away into the hazy 
distance. The sight is impressive to any visitor : what 
emotions it must have awakened in two such saints, who 
saw it shining with that supernatural splendor, which St. 
Leo the Great and St. John Chrysostom speak of as im- 
parted to it by the blood of countless martyrs. 

337. — HOUSE OF ST. CAJETAN ON THE PINCIO. 

In 1525 St. Cajetan and his companions (1) lived in a 
house in the city, which belonged to Boniface de CoUe ; 
but their number increasing, they took a larger house on 
the Pincio. During their residence here occurred the 
terrible sack of Rome by the Lutherans mentioned above 
(n. 333). The house of the Theatines was rifled and 
almost demolished. One of the German soldiers, who had 
known St. Cajetan at Vicenza, before the latter had re- 
nounced the world, falsely supposing him to be still rich, 
reported to his officer that the saint had probably some 
concealed treasure v^^orth the having. Whereupon Caje- 
tan was barbarously scourged and tortured to extort from 
him the money which he no longer possessed. Being at 
length discharged, though in a weak and m.aimed condi- 
tion, he and his companions left Rome with nothing but 
their breviaries under their arms, and with clothes barely 
sufficient to cover them. 



(1) The first members of the Order of Theatines. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

From the Piazza di Spagna to the Porta 
Salaria and the Cemetery of Priscilla. 

338.— piazza di spagna— church of st. george. 

The Piazza di Spagna, the centre of the English quar- 
ter in Rome, lies at the foot of the Pincio and takes its 
name from the palace of the Spanish ambassador. Op- 
posite this palace is a large column on which stands a 
bronze statue of our Lady, erected by Pius IX, to com- 
memorate the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate 
Conception in 1854. On the octagonal base are four 
figures of Moses, David, Isaias and Ezechiel. 

The strange boat-shaped fountain (Barcaccia) at the 
foot of the broad steps, was designed by Bernini, and is 
a memorial of a great flood occasioned by an overflow of 
the Tiber. The view of the Trinita dei Monti from the 
foot of the steps is very picturesque, the foreground being 
usually bright with colors from the m^asses of flowers dis- 
played for sale. Opposite the steps is the Via de' Con- 
dotti (1) with its numerous shops of jewelry, mosaics, 
antiquities and photographs. 

At the left corner of the Flotel di Londra is the Via S. 
Sebastiano where a small church dedicated to St. George 
and the English saints was opened in 1886. At one of 
the altars is a copy of the fresco of our Lady and Child 
discovered in the Catacombs of St. Priscilla. (2) The 
high altar formerly belonged to the demolished church of 
St. Teresa in the Via Venti Settembre. Attached to the 
church is a convent of the Poor Servants of the Mother of 
God, who have a flourishing school for children. 

(1) So called because the aqueducts of Aqua Vergine pass under it. 

(2) The most ancient picture of our Lady hitherto discovered. 
See n. 347. 

421 



422 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

339.— COLLEGE OF PROPAGANDA FIDE. 

This institution, the headquarters of missionary work 
throughout the world, was begun in 1622 by Gregory XV, 
and fully established by Urban VIII. It is under the di- 
rection of a Cardinal Prefect and a committee of Cardinals. 
Youths of all those countries, that have no national col- 
lege in Rome, are here trained for the work of the Apos- 
tleship. The first professors were Theatines, and for a 
short period (from 1836 to 1849), the college was under 
the care of the Society of Jesus. Several of its alumni 
have crowned their life of heroic labor by a martyr's 
death. (1) 

In 1657, Venerable Oliver Plunket, the martyr Arch- 
bishop of Armagh, was appointed Professor in this col- 
lege, where for twelve years he continued to lecture on 
Dogmatic and Moral Theology, acting at the same time 
as consultor of the Index. During this period he formed 
the acquaintance of Monsignor Odescalchi who, in 1676, 
was raised to the Papal Chair, assuming the name of 
Innocent; and of Father Pallavicino, S. J. the great his- 
torian of the Council of Trent, who was afterwards pro- 
moted to the Cardinalate. (2) 

340. — S. ANDREA DELLE FRATTE. 

The National Church of the Scots before the I(eformation. 

The street on the right side of the Propaganda leads to 
the church of S. Andrea delle Fratte, founded at some 
remote period, when this part of Rome was covered with 
gardens and vineyards, as the appellation Fratte (Fences) 
would seem to imply ; and rebuilt in the seventeenth 
century. 

The church has memories that link it with the Catholi- 
cism of the North. This was the Scotch church of 
mediaeval Rome, and continued such till the Reformation. 



(1) Mgr. Dupanloup on the Propaganda. See The Months Dec, 
1874, p. 468. 

(2) Cardinal Moran. Memoir of Oliver Plunket^ p. 17. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 423 

Adjoining it was a hospice for Scotch pilgrims, the reve- 
nues of which now support, at least in part, the Scots' 
College. 

On January 20, 1842, a Jew, named Alphonsus Ratis- 
bonne, was suddenly converted to the Catholic faith by 
an apparition of our Blessed Lady in this church. He 
afterwards became a priest, labored zealously for the 
faith, and died in Jerusalem. The chapel of the appari- 
tion, the third on the left side, was at that time dedicated 
to St. Michael. 

The church is served by Minims, i.e., ^.eligious of St. 
Francis of Paula. 

341.— PIAZZA BARBERINI— THE SCOTS' COLLEGE. 

Following the tram line in the direction of the tunnel 
and turning up the cross street, Via del Tritone, (1) we 
reach the broad square Piazza Barberini, in the centre of 
which is Bernini's fountain of the Tritone , a Triton 
blowing a jet of water from a shell. As we enter the 
square we have the Via Sistina on our left and the Via 
delle Quattro Fontane on our right. In the latter street, 
close to the square, is the Scots' College, Collegio Scozzese, 
founded by Clement VIII, in 1600, who applied to it the 
funds of the old Scotch hospice, to which pilgrims had 
ceased to come after the Reformation. The students first 
occupied a building opposite the church of S. Maria di 
Constantinopoli, but in 1604, they moved to the present 
site. The first Cardinal protectors of the college were 
Cardinal Camillo Borghese, who, in 1605, became Paul V, 
and Cardinal Barberini, who, in 1623, became Urban VIII. 
In 1616 it was put under the care of the Society of Jesus, 
who continued in charge of the institution till 1773. Dur- 
ing the French revolution of 1798, the students were dis- 
missed and the doors closed, to be reopened again only in 
1820. The present buildings are recent. One of the 
chief relics in the church is that of St. Margaret, Queen 

(1) One of the main arteries of I^ome. 



424 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

of Scotland. (1) The students attend the lectures of the 
Gregorian University. Their distinctive dress is a violet 
soutane with red cincture. 



342.— I CAPPUCCINI— S. ISIDORO. 

Standing in the centre of the Piazza Barberini, facing 
the Hotel Bristol, we see on the right the immense Palazzo 
Barberini, and on a slope to the left the church of the 
Capuchin Fathers, ^. Maria delta Concezione . This sacred 
edifice was founded in 1626, by Cardinal Barberini, brother 
of Urban VIII, and himself a Capuchin. His tomb is in 
front of the sanctuary, covered by a plain slab, with the 
inscription : "■ Hie jacet pulvis, cinis et nihil." In two of 
the side altars repose the bodies of St. Felix of Cantalice 
and Blessed Crispin of Viterbo, the latter incorrupt. In 
the choir are said to be some remains of St. Justin, the 
great apologist and martyr. The church has some re- 
markable paintings, Guido Reni's wonderful picture of 
St. Michael in the first chapel on the right ; Domenichino's 
St. Francis in Ecstasy, in the third chapel on the same 
side ; Da Cortona's Visit of Ananias to St. Paul, in the 
first chapel on the left. 

To the left of the sanctuary is the tomb of Prince Alex- 
ander Sobieski, son of John Sobieski, King of Poland, 
who died in K,ome, in 1714. 

Beneath the church are the vaults of the dead, consist- 
ing of four chambers, where the skeletons of dead friars, 
clad in the religious habit, may be seen standing in niches 
formed of human bones ; a weird sight, meant to impress 
on the beholder thoughts of the uncertainty of life and 
the rapid approach of death and eternity. 

On the summit of the hill, behind the Hotel Suisse 
may be seen 5. Isidore, the church of the Irish Francis- 



(1) St. Margaret never sat down to table without having first fed 
and waited on nine little orphans and twenty-four grown up poor. 
In Lent and Advent she and her husband, King Malcolm, often 
called in three hundred poor and served them at table on their 
knees. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 425 

cans, adjoining which is a monastery founded by the 
celebrated Father Luke Waddington, O. S. F., author of 
Annales Franciscani, and one of the brightest ornaments 
of his order. It was by his advice that Cardinal Ludovisi 
founded the Irish college in 1627, to prepare youths for 
the Irish mission. 

343.— THE COLLEGIO GERMANICO, IN VIA S. NICOLA 
DA TOLENTINO. 

In the street of S. Nicola, the entrance to which is at 
the upper end of the Piazza Barberini, is the large Ger- 
man College founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola, in the 
pontificate of Julius III, A.D. 1552. (See n. 291). Its first 
home was a rented house near S. Andrea della Valle : 
then Julius III gave to Ignatius the church and residence 
of S. Apollinare. Gregory XIII, the generous patron 
and joint founder of the institution, erected for the stu- 
dents the palatial buildings of S. Apollinare, now used by 
the K.oman Seminary. Towards the end of the eighteenth 
century, some twenty years after the suppression of the 
Society, the college was closed by the French governor 
of K.ome. At the restoration of the Society, in 1814, the 
German students returned and for many years lived in the 
General's house at the Gesti, till Leo XII gave them the 
Palazzo Borromeo in the Via del Seminario. In 1886 
they migrated to the present buildings. 

The list of former students includes the English martyr, 
Blessed Robert Johnson, a companion of Blessed Edmund 
Campion, S. J., who died for the faith in 1582, and was 
beatified in 1886 ; also an imposing array of church dig- 
nitaries, among them being Pope Gregory XV, 28 Car- 
dinals, 47 Archbishops, 280 Bishops, 70 Abbots, and very 
many distinguished priests and writers. Blessed Rodolf 
Aquaviva, Martyr, S. J., was a repetitore or tutor in this 
college, and Blessed Peter Bernis, Martyr, S. J., acted as 
Prefect. 

The rules of the college, written by St. Ignatius, are 
still religiously observed, and the scarlet dress the students 



426 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

wear is said to have been his choice, to remind them that 
they must be ready to shed their blood for Christ, if neces- 
sary. The college church, of the Romanesque style, is 
dedicated to St. John Berchmans. The services are im- 
pressive and the plain chant singing much admired. 

344. — CHURCH OF S. NICOLA DA TOLENTINO— THE 
ARMENIAN COLLEGE. 

Opposite the German college is the beautiful church of 
S. Nicola da Tolentino, erected through the liberality of 
Prince Pamfili, in 1614. Mass is here said in the Latin 
and Armenian rites. Adjoining it is the Armenian Col- 
lege, an institution projected by Gregory XIII, and finally 
realized by Pius IX. The students wear a black dress 
with deep sleeves. A part of the building is occupied by 
a congregation of priests, who train young clerics for the 
foreign missions. 

In a prominent position, at the head of the street, is the 
Villa Spithcever, to build which the old casino of the 
Barberini was demolished. At present it is the temporary 
home of a community of Spanish nuns. 

The street here divides into two, the right branch lead- 
ing to the Via Venti Settembre, the left to the Via Buon- 
compagni and Porta Salaria. We follow the latter. 

345. — FORMER VILLA LUDOVISI— THE GARDENS OF 
SALLUST. 

This part of Rome from the Villa Spithcever to the 
Porta Pinciana and the Porta Salaria was in ancient days 
covered by the Forum and Gardens of Sallust ; and here, 
till within recent years, was the glorious and beautiful 
Villa Ludovisi, one of the most delightful spots in Rome, 
"with shady avenues, picturesque gardens, cool groves, 
dells and glades, glowing pastures, reedy fountains and 
flowering meadows studded with enormous slanting pines. 
The whole place seemed a revelation of what Italy and 
hereditary grandeur can do together." (Henry James.) 

Of this noble park nothing remains ; all was sold about 
the year 1884, by Prince Piombino to the Bank of Italy, 



PIIvGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 427 

which has cut down all the trees, effaced all the gardens, 
and divided the land into streets and building plots, rows 
of huge tenement houses were quickly run up and the 
place soon became as unsightly as it had been attractive 
before. Our way is along the Via Buoncompagni, past 
the new monastery of the Capuchin Friars, to the Porta 
Salaria. 

Note. — The Gardens of Sallust, Horti Sallustiani. 
comprised a palace, a library, a portico or covered colon- 
nade, a thousand feet long, known as the Milliarum, also 
baths and picturesque grounds adorned with marble 
statues, etc. After the death of the historian they be- 
came the property of the emperor, and were a favorite 
resort of Vespasian, Nerva and Aurelian. Nerva here 
closed his days ; Aurelian used the Milliarum for his 
chariot races. The buildings were plundered and set 
fire to by Alaric and his Goths, who entered by the neigh- 
boring Porta Salaria, A.D. 410. 

346.— VIA SALARIA NOVA (1) — CATACOMB OF ST. 
FELICITAS. 

Just outside the Porta Salaria are the remains of an 
ancient tomb, originally surmounted by the marble figure 
of a school boy, Quintus Sulpicius Maximus, who died in 
his twelfth year. He was a youthful prodigy, and at a 
public competition for the world's championship in Greek 
poetry, during the reign of Domitian, won the prize out 
of fifty-two competitors, and was crowned by the em- 
peror with the Capitoline laurels. His brilliant triumph 
was soon followed by an untimely death. 

On the Via Salaria, about 500 yards from the city gate, 
is the entrance to the Villa Albani, now Villa Torlonia. 
This palace was once a treasure-house of works of art : 
294 of the finest statues were carried off to Paris by 
Napoleon I, in 1798 ; and on being restored, in 1815, were 
all sold by Prince Albani, with one exception. 



(1) Salaria Vetus from the Porta Pinciana. 



428 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

A little further on will be noticed the entrance to the 
Catacomb of St. Felicitas, rediscovered in 1884. A nar- 
row stair leads down to a small subterranean basilica, the 
walls of which are lined with tufo and brickwork, and at 
the sanctuary end are ornamented with frescoes of the 
sixth or seventh century. Here were buried St. Feiicitas 
and her youngest son, St. Silanus, both martyrs. A 
small church was erected above the spot at a very early 
period, to which the body of St. Feiicitas was transferred, 
that of St. Silanus being left in the crypt basilica below. 
St. Gregory the Great, in a discourse delivered in this 
church, says that, ''St. Feiicitas having seven children, 
was as much afraid of leaving them behind her on earth as 
other mothers are of surviving theirs. She was more than 
a martyr, for, seeing her seven dear children martyred 
before her eyes, she was in some sort a martyr in each of 
them. She was the eighth in order of time, but was from 
the first to the last in pain, and began her martyrdom with 
the eldest, completing it only by her own death." St. 
Peter Chrysologus also preached the panegyric of this 
noble lady and her seven sons. Their trial and con- 
demnation took place in front of the Temple of Mars 
[Forum of Augustus), (1) but they suffered in different 
places by different kinds of death. The names of the 
seven brothers are SS. Januarius, Felix, Philip, Alexan- 
der, Vitalis, Martialis and Silanus. (See Surius Vitce SS. 
d. 10 Julii.) 

Pope Boniface I (418-422), flying from the persecution 
of Eulalius, took refuge in this catacomb and afterwards 
adorned it and the church above with frescoes. His 
devotion to St. Feiicitas made him choose this church as 
his own place of sepulture. 

About the year 795, St. Leo III translated the bodies 
of SS. Feiicitas and Silanus to the church of St. Susanna, . 
where they still lie. (Marucchi, Le Catacombe di l^oma^ 
p. 391.) 



(1) Via Bonnella, near the I^oman Forum. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 429 

347. — THE CATACOMB OF ST. PRISCILLA, ON THE VIA 
SALARIA NOVA. 

Crossing the Avenue di Parioli (also known as di I^egina), 
still following the Via Salaria, we pass the Catacomb of 
SS. Thrason and Saturninus, where many ancient mural 
decorations are preserved, (1) and at some distance further 
on, about a mile and a half from the city gate, we reach 
the Catacomb of St. Priscilla, on the left of the descent to 
the river Anio. This catacomb is the most ancient, 
interesting and important of all the early Christian ceme- 
teries. It dates from St. Priscilla, the mother of the Sen- 
ator Pudens, who gave hospitality to St Peter in his 
house on the Viminal (n. 78) and is located in the subur- 
ban villa of Pudens. In its chapels and galleries were 
interred the bodies of many saints, among them being 
those of St. Pudens, of his two daughters, SS. Pudentiana 
and Praxedes, of his mother, St. Priscilla, of SS. Aquila 
and Prisca, of SS. Felix and Philip, two of St. Felicitas' 
sons, of SS. Crescentius and Crescentianus, of the Popes 
SS. Marcellinus and Marcellus, etc. When peace was 
restored to the Church by Constantine, Pope St. Sylvester 
erected a small basilica over the catacomb, into which 
many bodies of saints were transferred from the galleries 
below, and there remained till the ninth century, when 
they were removed into the city. 

Several of the paintings in this catacomb are remark- 
able, especially one of the Eucharistic feast, and another 
of our Blessed Lady v/ith the Holy Child, one of the 
earliest known representations of the subject. De Rossi 
believes it to belong almost to the apostolic age. Our 
Lady is represented seated, her head partially covered by 
a short, light veil, and with the Holy Child in her arms. 
Opposite to her stands a man clothed in the pallium, hold- 
ing a volume in one hand and pointing with the other to a 
star above our Lady. He is supposed to be the prophet 
Isaias. (2) 

(1) Marucchi. Le Catacotnbe, p. 400. 

(2) Marucchi. Le Catacombe, pp. 428, 451. Northcote, I(oma 
Sotterranea. 



430 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Professor Marucchi thinks that St. Peter's chair, the 
centre of administration of the Primitive Church, was in 
the ancient baptistery recently brought to light in this 
catacomb. S. Priscilla seems to have been a place for 
important liturgical assemblies, for amongst the group of 
magnificent crypts here discovered is the Capella Grceca, 
where are represented the only liturgical scenes yet dis- 
covered in the cemeteries. They are the well-known 
'' Fractio Panis,'" and the '' Giving of the Veil to a Con- 
secrated Virgin." 

It is remarkable that the name of Petrus is found on 
many of the sepulchral tiles and marble slabs of this cata- 
comb, and it was De Rossi's opinion that this name was 
borne by many whom the Apostle baptized. 

The Crypt of the Acilii Glabriones. 

The Acilii, referred to above (n. 334), were relatives of 
the Senator Pudens, and were buried on this spot, where 
their tombs were discovered in 1888. (1) 

Discovery of the Body of St. Philomena. 

In the Pontificate of Pius VII a remarkable slab attracted 
the attention of the custodians of this catacomb, who were 
then prosecuting investigations, and on May 25, 1802, the 
tomb v/as formally examined. On the tiles that enclosed 
it was the following inscription: '^Philomena Pax 
Tecum'' (2) 

The devices accompanying these simple words — an 
anchor, an arrow and a palm — determined the spot as the 
last resting place of a martyr. The tomb was opened by 
Monsignor Ludovisi, who disclosed to the gaze of the 
assistants and bystanders the precious remains. Beside 
them stood the phial containing the blood of the saint. 
From a.n examination of the relics it was ascertained that 
Philomena had been martyred in her tender youth, at 



(1) Marucchi. La Catacombe I^omane, p. 464. 

(2) Ibid., p. 447. 



PILGRIM-WALKvS IN ROMK. 431 

about twelve or thirteen years of age. The reHcs were 
then fervently removed to the Ciistodia of the Cardinal 
Vicar, and, in 1805, were translated to Mugnano, near 
Naples. 

348.— CRYPT OF SS. CHRYSANTHUS AND DARIA. 

Among the martyrs most honored in the ancient Roman 
Church were SS. Chrysanthus and Daria, who had been 
buried alive in an arenaria or sand-pit. Their tombs in 
the catacomb of St. Priscilla became so celebrated for 
cures, that their fellow-Christians excavated a chapel over 
them, with a vault of beautiful workmanship, where 
crowds of worshippers assembled. St. Gregory of Tours 
{de Gloria Mart. 1. 1. c. 28), tells us, that when this was 
discovered by the heathens, the emperor caused the 
entrance to be hastily built up, and a vast mound of sand 
and stones to be heaped in front of it, so that they might 
all be buried alive, even as the martyrs whom they had 
come to venerate. St. Gregory adds that when peace 
was restored to the Church, the tombs of SS. Chrysan- 
thus and Daria were rediscovered, and in the chamber in 
front of them were the skeletons of men, women and 
children lying on the floor, also the silver cruets they had 
taken down with them for the celebration of the sacred 
mysteries. So touching a memorial of past ages was left 
undisturbed, and a wall was built to protect it. St. 
Damasus opened a window in this wall, through which 
pilgrims could see not only the tombs of the two martyrs, 
but also the bodies of those who had been buried alive at 
their shrine. All this might still be seen in St. Gregory's 
time in the sixth century. It is hoped that this crypt 
may be once more discovered. (1) 



(1) S. Greg. Turon, de Gloria Mart. lib. 1, c. 28. 

Northcote. I^oma Sotterr, p. 88. Wiseman. Fabiola, Part II, c. 3 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

To THE Rooms and Homes of the Saints. 
349.— (1) saints of the first and sixth centuries. 

Home of St. Clement, P. M.,. . . . see n. 54 
St Pudentiana, . . . see nn. 78, 79 

St. Prisca, see n. 244 

SS. Aquila and Priscilla, . . n 245 

(2) SAINT OF the second CENTURY. 

Home of St. Cecilia, see n 260 

(3) SAINTS OF THE THIRD CENTURY. 

Home of St. Cyriaca, .... see n. 62 

St. Marcella, . . . n. 246 

St. Paula and St. Eustochium, . n. 309 

St. Eusebius, .... n. 148 

(4) SAINTS OF THE FOURTH CENTURY. 

Home of SS. Ambrose and Marcellina, . see n. 253 

St. Sabina, n. 235 

SS. John and Paul, ... n. 65 

(5) SAINTS OF THE FIFTH CENTURY. 

Home of St. Melania the Younger, . . see n. 61 
St. Alexius, .... n. 240 

(6) SAINTS OF THE SIXTH CENTURY. 

Home of St. Benedict,. . . . see n. 258 

St. Gregory the Great, . n. 67, seq. 

St. Sylvia, .... n. 248 

(7) SAINT OF THE ELEVENTH CENTURY. 

Hom.e of St. Gregory VII (Hildebrand), . see n. 262 
432 




COLLEGIO GEKMANICO. 343. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 483 

350.— SAINTS OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY. 

(1) St. John of Hatha. Founder of the Order of the 
Trinitarians (d. 1213). He lived for more than two years 
in the monastery near the church of S. Tommaso in 
Formis, on the Ccelian Hill (n. (iV). The room in which 
he died may be seen over the arch of Dolabella. 

(2) St. Dominic (d. 1221). The room is shown at the 
monastery of St. Sabina, where the saint passed the night 
in prayer together with St. Francis of Assisi and St. 
Angelo, the Carmelite (n. 238). 

(3) St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226). At the church of 
S. Francesco a Ripa is the room whrch was built for St. 
Francis, when he came to attend the sick in the adjacent 
hospital of St. Blaise (n. 261). The stone is there pre- 
served which he made use of as a pillow. 

351.— SAINTS OF THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY. 

(1) St. Bridget of Sweden (d. 1373). The cell she occu- 
pied and where she died is in the convent adjoining the 
church dedicated to her in the Piazza Farnese. Her cru- 
cifix is still kept there, and the table on which she wrote 
her revelations (n. 308). 

(2) St. Catherine of Sweden , daughter of St. Bridget (d. 
1381). The room she is said to have occupied is in the 
same convent, near her mother's cell. 

(3) St. Catherine of Sienna (d. 1380). During the three 
years she spent in R^ome, she lived in a room next to the 
small church of the Annunziata in the Via S. Chiara. 
The wooden ceiling remains as in the saint's time, but 
the frescoes by Perugino, with a portion of the walls, have 
been removed to the Minerva, where they may be seen 
in a small chapel near the sacristy (n. 290). 

352.— SAINTS OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. 

(1) St. Frances of I^ome (d. 1440). Two rooms of this 
saint exist, the one in which she died in the Palazzo 
Ponziano (n. 259) ; the other in the convent of Tor de 
Specchi, where she lived as a ^.eligious. Her extraor- 



434 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

dinary miracles and the almost constant visible presence 
of her angel guardian have left her memory in special 
benediction in R.ome (n. 100). 

Near her rooms at Tor de' Specchi is the chapel where 
she heard Mass and prayed daily : it is ornamented with 
fresco paintings of a very interesting character. 

(2) St. John Capistran (d. 1456). His room at the Ara 
Cceli convent has been recently demolished, to make 
way for the monument of Victor Emmanuel (n. 156). 

The rooms also of St. Bernar dine of Sienna and St. Diego 
(Didacus) in the same convent have been also sacrificed. 

353.— SAINTS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. 

(1) St. Ignatius' rooms at the Gesu. These rooms were 
preserved intact when, in 1599, the house of the saint was 
taken down in order to construct the large Professed 
House of the Gesu. St. Ignatius here lived for many 
years, was here visited by St. Philip Neri, and here died, 
in 1556. Many very interesting particulars concerning 
these rooms will be found in a little book, ** Rooms of the 
Saints of the Society of fesus^'' to be had of the Sacristan. 
Care has been taken to preserve the rooms as they were 
in the saint's time. 

St. Francis Borgia also lived in these rooms and died 
here, in 1572. 

(2) St. Stanislaus Kostka, S.J. (d. 1568, aged 17). The 
room in which this young saint died, in the novitiate of S. 
Andrea, in Quirinale, was unfortunately destroyed in 1888. 
A facsimile of it exists near the church of S. Andrea, 
full of interesting memorials and relics. 

See *' K.ooms of the Saints of the Society of Jesus." 

(3) St. Aloysius, S.J. (d. 1591). His room is in the 
I(oman College, adjoining the church of S. Ignazio. For 
many interesting particulars concerning it the reader is 
referred to the same book, ''Rooms of the Saints, S.J." 
to be had in the sacristy. 

(4) St. Pius V (d. 1572). The room he occupied as a 
Dominican friar before his election to the Pontificate is in 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 435 

the convent of St. Sabina on the Aventine (n. 238). In it 
is preserved his crucifix. 

(5) St. Felix of Cantalice (d. 1587). The cell of this 
humble Capuchin, the friend of St. Philip Neri and of St. 
Charles Borromeo, may be visited in the convent of his 
Order near the Piazza Barberini. 

(6) St. Charles Borromeo (d. 1584). A room said to be 
occupied by him is shown in the Palazzo Altemps (n. 297). 

(7) St. Philip Neri (d. 1597). 

There are two rooms of this saint, the one at S. Girol- 
amo della Carita, where he lived for thirty-three years 
(n. 310) ; the other at S. Maria in Vallicella where he 
died (n. 315). In both rooms are preserved many won- 
derful relics of the saint. In the first room he received 
frequent visits from St. Ignatius, St. Felix of Cantalice 
and St. Camillus de Lellis. 

354.— SAINTS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY. 

St. Camillus de Lellis (d. 1614). His room is in the 
house of his order (''Servants of the Sick ") at S. Maria 
Maddalena. It is interesting to note that this saint was 
ordained priest in K.ome by the Right Reverend Thomas 
Goldwell, the last Catholic Bishop of St. Asaph. St. 
Philip Neri was his confessor, and frequently saw angels 
whispering to him and his companions the words of com- 
fort they were to address to the sick and dying. 

(2) St. John Berchmans, S.J. (d. 1621). The room of 
this angelic youth is in the Roman College, close to that 
of St. Aloysius. A description of it will be found in the 
book, *' Rooms of the Saints, S. J.," to be had in the 
sacristies of the Gesu and of S. Ignazio. His life was a 
close imitation of that of St. Aloysius. 

(3) St. Joseph Calasanctitis (d. 1648). His room is in 
the house of his order (''Regular Clerks of the Pious 
Schools") attached to the Church of S. Pantaleo in the 
Corso Vittorio Emanuele. 

In front of the room where he died is a larger room or 
oratory, where the saint, after concluding an instruction 
to some scholars, was favored with a vision of our Lady, 



436 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

seen also by all of the scholars present. She seemed to 
be enthroned on a bright, luminous cloud, with the Divine 
Child in her arms. At her request, the Holy Child raised 
His hand to give His blessing to the pious assembly. 

355. — SAINTS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 

(1) St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio {^^. 1751). His room 
is in the Franciscan Convent of St. Bonaventura on the 
Palatine. Unfortunately, the portion of the building 
where it is situated has been taken from the Franciscans 
and transformed into laborers' cottages ; it is feared even 
that it may be destroyed. 

(2) St. John Baptist de I^ossi (d. 1764). Two rooms of 
this saint exist, the one at S. Maria in Cosmedin, which 
he occupied as Canon of that church; the other at SS. 
Trinita dei Pellegrini, where he died. He is venerated as 
a second St. Philip Neri. 

(3) St. Paul of the Cross {^. 1775). His room maybe 
seen in the Monastery of his Order {" The Passionists "), 
on the Coelian Hill, attached to the church of SS. John and 
Paul (n. 66). This saint prayed constantly for the con- 
version of England. 

(4) St. Benedict Joseph Labre (d. 1783). This saint, 
who chose to live as a poor mendicant for Christ's sake, 
was born of parents in easy circumstances and was well 
educated, being able to speak six languages. Being 
found in his agony on the steps of S. Maria ai Monti, he 
was taken by a charitable man to his house close by in 
Via dei Serpenti, n. 3, where he died (n. 173). 

In a house at No. 20 Via Crociferi, near the Fountain 
of Trevi, is a chapel of the saint, full of objects that be- 
longed to him. He is said to have received hospitality at 
this house. 

In nearly all of the above rooms are preserved valuable 
relics and memorials of the saints who dwelt there. 

To these may be added (1) the room of Venerable 
Joseph Pignatelli, S.J., at the little church of our Lady di 
Buonconsiglio, near the Coliseum ; (2) the room of Ven- 
erable Vincenzo Pallotti, at S. Salvatore in Onda, near 
Ponte Sisto. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

The Lenten Stations — Visit to the Seven 
Churches. 

356. — the LENTEN STATIONS. 

The Stations, as observed in the eariiest times, seem to 
have been visits of the clergy and faithful to the tombs of 
the martyrs, there to watch and pray in preparation for 
the conflict with the enemies of the Church. They are 
said to date from the fourth century. St. Gregory the 
Great, in 590, arranged the ceremonial of the stational pro- 
cessions, appointed the churches to be visited and the 
prayers to be recited ; the churches he then assigned 
being nearly the same as at the present day. 

The devotion of the Lenten Stations, as practised since 
St. Gregory's time, is intended to honor the tombs and 
the relics of the Martyrs, and to obtain through the in- 
tercession of these glorious witnesses of the Faith the 
help the Church needs for the spread of religion, the re- 
pression of heresies, the securing of peace in Christian 
countries. 

357.— LIST OF THE STATIONS. 

Ash Wednesday S. Sabina n. 235 seq. 

Thursday S. Georgio in Velabro . . . . n. 230 

Friday SS. Giovanni e Paolo n. 64 

Saturday S. Agostino n. 294 

First Sunday in Lent . . S. Giovanni Laterano .... n. 38 seq. 

Monday S. Pietro in Vincoli n. 93 

Tuesday S. Anastasia n. 232 

Wednesday S. Maria Maggiore n. 81 seq. 

Thursday S. Lorenzo in Panisperna . . . n. 76 

Friday SS. Apostoli n. 318 

Saturday S. Pietro n. 10 seq. 

Second Sunday in Lent . S. Maria in Domnica n. 62 

Monday S. Clemente n. 54 

437 



438 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

Tuesday S. Balbina n. 189 

Wednesday S. Cecilia n. 260 

Thursday S. Maria in Trastevere . . . . n. 268 seq. 

Friday S. Vitale n. 

Saturday SS. Marcellino e Pietro . . . . n. 

Third Sunday in Lent . S. Lorenzo fuori le mura . . . n. 130 seq. 

Monday S. Marco n. 319 

Tuesday S. Pudenziano n. 78 seq. 

Wednesday S. Sisto, SS. Nereoed Achilleo.nn. 191, 190 

Thursday SS. Cosma e Damiano . . . . n. 168 

Friday S. Lorenzo in Lucina n. 326 

Saturday \^' If^^''^^ ,. , ,. I • • • nn. 212, 97 

( S. Maria degli Angeli 3 

Fourth Sunday in Lent . S. Croce in Gerusalemme . . . n. 137 seq. 

Monday SS. Quattro Coronati . . . . n. 57 

Tuesday S. Lorenzo in Damaso . . . . n. 305 

Wednesday S. Paolo fuori le mura . . . . n. 110 seq. 

Thursday S. Martino ai Monti n. 91 

Friday S. Eusebio, S. Bibiana . . . nn. 148, 123 

Saturday S. Nicola in Carcere n. 102 

Passion Sunday S. Pietro in Vaticano n 10 seq. 

Monday S. Crisogono n. 262 

Tuesday S. Maria in Via Lata n. 321 

Wednesday S. Marcello n. 322 

Thursday S. Apollinare n. 296 

Friday S. Stefano I^otondo n. 59, 60 

Saturday S. Giovanni a Porta Latina . . n. 195 

Palm Sunday S. Giovanni in Laterano ... n. 38 seq. 

Monday S. Prassede n. 89 

Tuesday S. Prisca n. 244 

Wednesday S. Maria Maggiore n. 81 seq. 

Maundy Thursday . . . . S. Giovanni in Laterano . . , n. 38 seq. 

Good Friday S. Croce in Gerusalemme . . . n. 137 seq. 

Holy Saturday S. Giovanni in Laterano ... n. 38 seq. 

Easter Sunday S. Maria Maggiore .... n. 81 seq. 

Monday S. Pietro in Vincoli n. 93 

S. Onofrio n. 280 

Tuesday S.Paolo n. 110^^^. 

Low Sunday S. Pancrazio n. 274 seq. 

358. — THE VISIT TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES. 

The devout practice of visiting the seven greater 
churches of K,ome (viz.: the five Patriarchal Basilicas of 
St. Peter's, the Lateran, St. Mary Major, St. Laurence 
outside the walls, St. Paul, and the two other basilicas of 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 439 

the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) and St. Sebastian, can be 
traced back to the seventh century, and has been enriched 
by many Popes with very great indulgences. To gain 
these indulgences (1) confession and communion are re- 
quired in addition to the visits. 

(1) It is usual to make the visit to these seven churches 
on foot : but this is not necessary for the indulgence. 
The distance is about twelve miles. 

(2) The first visit, that to St. Peter's, may be made in 
the evening, within two hours before sunset, at which 
time the ecclesiastical day begins. The other six churches 
can then be visited the next morning in the following or- 
der : St. Mary Major, St. Laurence (S. Lorenzo), Holy 
Cross (S. Croce), the Lateran, St. Sebastian, St. Paul's : 
or this order may be inverted. 

(3) No special prayers are prescribed, but it is usual to 
say five Paters and five Aves in each church for the in- 
tentions of the Holy Father. Many visit the seven privi- 
leged altars in the greater basilicas. 

This devotion is recommended by the example of many 
great saints. 

(a) In the seventh century it was practised by SL 
Begga, the mother of Pipin of Heristal, and sister of St. 
Gertrude of Nivelles. She died in 698. 

{b) In the fourteenth century it was practised by St. 
Bridget of Sweden and her daughter St. Catherine. 

(c) In the sixteenth century it was the favorite devotion 
of St. Philip Neri, who for ten years made this pilgrimage 
every night, and, later on, came accompanied by his 
spiritual sons and numerous bands of youths, sometimes 
2,000 strong ; also of St. Joseph Calasanctius, who at one 
period made the visits nearly every day ; and of St. 
Charles Borromeo. 

id) St. Ignatius and his companions, on the morning of 
their solemn Profession at St. Paul's, April 15, 1541, first 
made the visit to the six other churches. 



(1) The intention should be formed of gaining all the indul- 
gences granted. 



440 PIIvGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

(e) SL Pius V, when near his death in 1572, tried to 
make the visit to the seven churches, "but on reaching the 
Lateran was unable to proceed further. He knelt and 
kissed the lowest step of the Scala Santa, was carried 
back to his palace, and died a few days after. 

(/) Sl Benedict Joseph Labre frequently made this pil- 
grimage. 

{g) Popes Paul V and Benedict XIII visited the seven 
churches accompanied by many of the cardinals. 

It is interesting to note that St. Philip, when leading 
numerous bands of youths to the seven churches, made 
them sing hymns and Psalms on the way, and took them 
to the grounds of the Villa Mattei near S. Stefano 
Rotondo for a rest and a simple repast. 

359.— THE CATACOMB OF ST. DOMITILLA, ON THE VIA 
DELLE SETTE CHIESE. 

In visiting the seven churches the road between St. 
Sebastian and St. Paul passes the entrance to this 
remarkable catacomb, which was originally the sepulchral 
vault of St. Flavius Clemens and his family. This illus- 
trious martyr of the first century, one of St. Peter's con- 
verts, was a relative of the Emperors Vespasian, Titus 
and Domitian. The following table will show the saints 
of the Flavian family. 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 



441 



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442 PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 

The Emperor Domitian intended these two boys, Ves- 
pasian and Domitian, as his successors, and appointed 
Quintilian as their tutor, till he discovered they were 
Christians. After the martyrdom of their father and the 
exile of their mother, they disappear from history, having 
probably been put to death for the faith. 

In this catacomb were buried St. Flavia Domitilla, the 
younger, whose body was brought from the island of Pontia; 
S^". Nereus and Achilleus^ martyrs, officers in her service, 
whose remains were brought from Terracina. St. Petro- 
nilla Aurelia, the spiritual daughter of St. Peter. (1) 

The bodies of the three first saints were translated in 
the eighth century to the church of SS. Nereo ed Achilleo 
on the Appian Way, (n. 190) ; that of St. Petronilla to St. 
Peter's on the Vatican. 

Dr. Northcote, in his P^oma Sotterranea, writes as fol- 
lows of this catacomb: ''It is one of the most ancient 
and remarkable Christian monuments yet discovered. Its 
position, close to the highway ; its front of fine brick 
work, with a cornice of terra cotta ; the spaciousness of 
its gallery ; the fine stucco on the walls ; the eminently 
classical character of its decorations; all these things 
make it perfectly clear that it was the monument of a 
Christian family of distinction, excavated at great cost, 
and without the sHghtest attempt at concealment. The 
whole of the vaulted roof is covered with the most ex- 
quisitely graceful designs, of branches of the vine, (with 
birds and winged genii among them) trailing with all the 
freedom of nature over the whole walls. Traces too of 
landscapes may be seen here and there ; also representa- 
tions of the Good Shepherd, an agape or the heavenly 
feast, a man fishing, Daniel in the lions' den, etc." (p. 70) 

360. — BASILICA OF SS. NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS IN THE 
CATACOMB OF ST. DOMITILLA. 

In 1871 a basilica of the fourth century was discovered 
here, originally divided into nave and aisles by two rows 



(1) See The Month, April, 1874, p. 471. 



PIIvGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 443 

of columns, with the tomb of the martyrs in the centre of 
the apse. A marble fragment was also found representing 
the martyrdom of St. Achilleus. 

In this ancient basilica St. Gregory the Great delivered 
his twenty-eighth homily, in which he says: "These 
saints (Nereus and Achilleus), before whose tomb we are 
assembled, despised the world and trampled it under 
their feet, when peace, plenty, riches and health gave it 
charms," etc. 

361. — WITH THE SAINTS IN ROME. 

Another form of Pilgrim walk might be to visit the 
places associated with some particular saint, also his 
shrine and relics, thus : 

(1) With St. Peter in I(ome. 

To visit the Aventine (S. Prisca), where he was the 
guest of Aquila and Priscilla ; S. Pudenziana, where he was 
the guest of the Senator Pudens ; the cemetery of Ostria- 
nus, where he is said to have baptized ; the catacomb of S. 
Priscilla, where he is thought to have placed his chair 
{i. e., the centre of administration); the Palatine, where 
he converted many noble persons ; the Forum, where he 
defeated the diabolical power of Simon Magus ; the Mam- 
ertine, where he was imprisoned ; the chapel on the 
Ostian Way, where he parted from St. Paul on t^eir way 
to martyrdom ; the Vatican, where he was crucified; S. 
Maria Traspontina, where is the pillar of his flagellation ; 
S. Pietro in Vincoli, where his chains are preserved ; S. 
Peter's, where his tomb is; S. John Lateran, where his 
head is preserved. 

(2) With St. Paul in I(ome. 

To visit his prison at S. Maria in Via Lata; his school 
at S. Paolino della K,egola, where he is supposed to have 
conversed with Seneca ; the Palatine, where he was tried 
before Nero ; the Mamertine, where he was imprisoned ; 
Tre Fontane, where he was martyred ; St. Paul's, where 
his tomb is ; St. John Lateran, where his head is preserved. 



444 PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

(3) With St. Philip Neri in I^ome. 

To visit S. Girolamo della Carita, where he hved thirty- 
three years ; S. Maria in Vallicella, where he died ; St. 
Peter's tomb, where he had an ecstasy ; St. Sebastian 
(catacombs), where his heart was miraculously enlarged ; 
Ponte S. Angelo, where he met St. Felix of Cantalice ; 
S. Agostino, where he studied Theology ; S. Tommaso 
in Parione, where he was ordained; Villa Mattei and S. 
Onofrio, where he led his young friends and the Domini- 
can novices ; S. Maria Sopra Minerva, where he had an 
ecstasy ; S. Giovanni dei Fiorentini, where he established 
his first companions ; St. Ignatius' K.ooms, where he vis- 
ited that saint; his own room and shrine of S. Maria in 
ValHcella. 

(4) With St. Ignatius in I^ome. 

To visit S. Giacomo in Piazza Navona, where he prob- 
ably stayed as a pilgrim ; the Pincio, where he lived for a 
short time ; Torre del Melangolo, near which he lived 
with St. Francis Xavier ; the Lateran, where he prayed 
with ecstatic fervor and tears ; St. Mary Major, where he 
said his first Mass ; S. Maria in Monserrato, where he 
taught catechism ; Ponte Sisto, where he saw the soul of 
Father John Codurius ascend to heaven ; S. Pietro in 
Montorio, where he made a retreat before accepting the 
office of General ; S. Paul's, where he and his companions 
made their solemn Profession; S. Maria della Strada, to 
which he had great devotion ; S. Balbina, where he went 
in his last illness ; the room at the Gesu, where he died ; 
his shrine in the Gesti ; S. Eustachio, where the German 
College, founded by him, was formally opened with great 
ceremony. 

(5) With St. Francis Xavier in I^ome. 

To visit the Pincio and the house near Torre del 
Melangolo, where he lived with St. Ignatius ; S. Lorenzo 
in Damaso, where he preached ; S. Luigi dei Francesi, 
where he heard confessions. 



PII.GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 445 

(6) With St. Aloysius in I^ome. 

To visit S. Andrea in Quirinale, where he made his nov- 
iceship ; the ^oman College, where he lived and studied ; 
the Gesu, where he served Mass ; the site of Villa Macao, 
where he went for weekly recreation ; the Ospedale della 
Consolazione, where he served the plague-stricken ; the 
chapel of Madonna della Strada, where he often prayed ; 
his room in the K.oman College ; his shrine in S. 
Ignazio, etc. 

Similar lists might be made of places associated with 
St. Frances of Rome, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Cajetan, 
St. Joseph Calasanctius, St. John Berchmans, St. Stanis- 
laus Kostka, St. John Baptist de' K.ossi and others. 



APPENDIX. 

362. — FACTS, TRADITIONS, LEGENDS. 

In visiting K^ome's holy places and examining its relig- 
ious treasures and memorials, it is important to distin- 
guish between ascertained historical facts, venerable tradi- 
tions diXid popular legends. 

ThQ firsts no one questions. 

The second, especially when very ancient, command re- 
spect, though we must be prepared to hear occasionally 
doubts raised as to the value of such traditions, on ac- 
count of the absence or insufficiency of early documentary 
evidence. We may then suspend our judgment, till the 
doubt is cleared up, or we may accept with reserve what 
tradition sanctions. 

The third may have an element of truth, that has been 
embellished by popular imagination ; or they may be 
found to be positively false. In the latter case they must 
be at once rejected, but in the former, they may be use- 
fully inserted in a Catholic book on K,ome, noting, how- 
ever, that they are only legends, and have no greater 
authority than popular belief. K.ecent historical research, 
while confirming the venerable and genuine traditions of 
Rome, has discovered that some of the popular stories 
and traditions about certain pictures, places, etc., are un- 
reliable. 

363. — RELICS: THEIR AUTHENTICITY. 

By " Relics," in the ecclesiastical sense, are understood 
the mortal remains of the saints, the objects they made 
use of in their lifetime, or which they hallowed by their 
touch, whatever has been in close contact with their per- 
sons, such as garments, books, crosses, instruments of 
martyrdom, etc. 
446 



PII^GRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 447 

The greater relics of our R^edeemer's passion are the 
crown of thorns, the nails, the holy cross. 

The honor paid to relics is indicated by the Council of 
Trent, session 25, chapter 6. 

The genuineness and authenticity of such objects of 
public devotion has ever been a subject of anxious care 
to the Church. The Council of Trent {ibid.) provides 
against abuse, requiring Bishops to be especially vigilant 
in the examination and approval of relics. The fourth 
Lateran Council has a special enactment against the in- 
troduction of spurious and doubtful relics. The penalty 
of fabricating false relics, or "publishing false miracles is 
excommunication. St. Gregory the Great administered 
a severe rebuke to certain Greek monks, who had been 
detected in fabricating relics. (1) 

By the law of the Church no relic is to be exposed to 
public veneration unless its authenticity be attested by a 
notarial act, examined and countersigned by the diocesan 
authority. Should this ''authentication," as it is called, 
be mislaid or lost, the relic must be withdrawn from public 
worship, save in the case of there being sufficient evidence 
to warrant the drawing up of a new authentication. 

Occasionally one hears the authenticity of certain 
greater relics challenged, because of the absence of allu- 
sion to them, V. g., in the ancient itineraries of the eighth 
and ninth centuries. In such cases we may suspend 
our judgment till the truth appears and the Church de- 
cides, or we may safely venerate what Catholics have 
venerated for long centuries, remembering that the merit 
of devotion does not depend on the secondary object (the 
relic), whether authentic or not, but on the person or 
persons whom we seek to honor in that object, i. e., Christ 
and His saints. The same applies to holy pictures and 
places ; in other words. Catholics pay to relics and im- 
ages a relative honor, as they relate to Christ and His 
saints, and are memorials of them. 

On the I^elics of our Lord's Passion at Santa Croce, 



(1) See The Month, Jan., 1870, p. 29 seq., p. 33. 



448 PII.GRIM-WAI.KS IN ROME. 

see an article by the late Right Rev. Dr. Virtue, in The 
Month, April, 1870, p. 399, seq. 

364.— THE GREEK COLLEGE, IN VIA BABUINO— ST. 
JOHN BERCHMANS. 

In the Via Babuino which connects the Piazza di Spagna 
with the Piazza del Popolo, is the Greek College, the 
students of which are easily recognized by their blue 
soutane and red girdle. On August 6, 1621, St. John 
Berchmans, seven days before his death, though feeling 
very unwell, was sent by his Superior, who did not know 
of his indisposition, to object in a philosophical defension 
at this college, then under the care of the Dominican 
Fathers. His learning and modesty won him such regard, 
that for the mere pleasure of listening to him, he was 
allowed to continue his discourse for an entire hour. On 
his return home he had an attack of fever, and his last 
illness began. 

In 1622 the college was handed over to the Society of 
Jesus, who governed it till within recent years. 

In the chapel is a painting of the head of St. Francis 
Xavier, said to be miraculous. An inscription at the back 
states that the eyes were seen to move, some time before 
the suppression of the Society. 

365. — O ROMA FELIX. 

During our stay in Rome we have tried to live with the 
saints ; we have visited their rooms, prayed at their 
shrines, followed in their footsteps ; we now leave their 
city with regret, envying, perhaps, the happy lot of those 
whose privilege it is to live on ground so holy, so near to 
Christ's Vicar, in the very heart of the Church, in the 
very centre of faith and unity. 

'' O happy Rome ! thou who wast consecrated with the 
glorious blood of the two Princes of the Apostles. Em- 
purpled with their blood, thou alone surpassest whatever 
else of beauty the earth possesses." (Hymn of the 
Church.) 

St. John Chrysostom, speaking of the glory of Rome, 



PILGRIM-WALKS IN ROME. 449 

exclaims, with enthusiasm: ''The heaven, resplendent 
with the sun's rays, does not shine with greater brilliancy 
than the city of R^ome, illumined by the splendor of the 
two apostles. I admire Rome, not for its wealth of gold, 
its columns, its splendid decorations, but because of those 
two pillars of the Church," whose remains it enshrines. 

Hail, Rome, the city of the saints, the Jerusalem of the 
New Testament, the beginning of our joy, the source of 
every spiritual blessing, the centre of our holy faith, the 
home of Christ's Vicar on earth, the fountain head of all 
spiritual jurisdiction ! 

Hail, Rome, the Rock on which the Church stands 
solidly built, while the dust of empires crumbles round its 
base; — the chosen capital of God's Kingdom on earth, 
that Kingdom which powers and principalities vainly 
spend themselves in trying to overthrow. 

Thoughts of Rome will accompany us to our distant 
home ; memory will cherish the recollection of its cata- 
combs, of its countless shrines, of its myriad saints, of its 
aged Pontiff, that frail figure, seeming more spirit than 
man, standing alone in his isolation, with the keys in his 
hands, the human representative of Divine authority on 
earth. 

The mind will often recall the emotions we felt when 
prostrate at St. Peter's tomb, when kneeling at the feet of 
Christ's Vicar, when praying in the rooms of the saints, 
when pressing our lips to their shrines, when treading on 
the soil empurpled with their blood. 

'*If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be 
forgotten. 

** Let my tongue cleave to my jaws, if I do not remem- 
ber thee : if I make not Jerusalem the beginning of my 
joy." (Psal. cxxxvi, 5, 6.) 



APPENDIX II. 
Pope Pius X. 

The remarkable enthusiasm with which the election of 
Pope Pius X has been hailed in the Catholic world, and 
the almost equally remarkable good will with which it 
has been received in the non-Catholic world, could have 
been awakened only by the sterling virtues of the new 
Pontiff. Although seldom seen in K,ome, and little 
known out of Italy, the extraordinary and most attractive 
virtues and the great natural gifts of the Archbishop of 
Venice had long been drawing towards him great multi- 
tudes of people. Simple as a child in life and personal 
manner, generous to a fault, zealous to seek personally 
the most ungrateful and depraved of his flock, singularly 
wise in counsel and strong in action, a most practical 
lover of the people, from whose ranks he has sprung, 
Cardinal Sarto ruled with undisputed sway the people of 
religious Venice. He almost literally gave all he had to 
the poor. He was unwearied in his intelligent efforts to 
better their condition both materially and spiritually, and 
countless are the works and institutions that grew under 
his care. A student as well as an apostle, he is learned 
and eloquent, a patron of the arts, and especially of 
music. In appearance and still more in manner, he 
closely resembles Pio Nono, whom he loved. He is very 
genial, with a keen sense of humor, but with goodness 
predominating over every other quality. Born of the 
poor, his habits have changed in nothing as he has risen ; 
but he is full of native dignity, courtesy and tact. 

Born at Riese on June 2, 1835, Pope Pius X was edu- 
cated at the diocesan seminary of Treviso and subse- 
quently at the university of Padua. He was ordained 
priest in 1858, and remained a simple, devoted, hard- 
working parish-priest until the age of 40. In 1884 he was 
made Bishop of Mantua, and nine years later Cardinal 
and Patriarch of Venice. 
450 



INDEX. 

(The names in italics are of basilicas and churches.) 

Page 

88. Ahdon and Sennen 202 

Acheiropita 69, 180 

Acilii, Glabriones 418, 430 

8. Adriano 179 

8. Agata del Goti 92 

St. Agnes 274, 375 

8. Agnese, Piazza Navona 374 

8. Agnese, Via Nomentana 271 

8. Agostino 370 

Alaric, and the Visigoths 29, 138, 211 

8. Alessio 294, 295 

St. Aloysius 66, 127, 269, 281, 358, 434 

Alta Semita, Ancient Mansions on 259 

Altar, Wooden of St. Peter 61, 63 

8. Amhrogio 309 

St. Ambrose 309 

St. Ambrose on the Martyrs 208 

American College, North 406 

America's Holy Ones 406 

Amphitheatre, Flavian (Coliseum) 199 

Amphitheatre, St. Philip's 350 

St. Anacletus' Memorise 6, 133 

;8'. Anastasia 285 

8. Andrea delle Fratte 422 

8. Andrea in Quirinale 258 

8. Andrea delta Yalle 331 

St. Andrew, Head of 23, 416 

Angels 229, 287, 320, 321 

Angel on Castel S. Angelo 46 

8. Angelo in Pescaria 310 

St. Angelus, the Carmelite 66, 292 

Anglo-Saxon Church 42 

Anglo-Saxon Coins 124 

Anglo-Saxon Hospice 42, 390 

Anglo-Saxon Kings 27, 42 

Anglo-Saxon Saints 27, 42 

8. Antonio Ablate 169 

451 



452 INDEX. 

Page 

/S. Antonio del Portoghesi 49 

Antoninus' Column 51 

S. Ansehno 296 

Apartments of Pope 41 

S. Apollinare 372 

S'/S. ApostoU 400 

Appian Way 224-250 

Approach to St. Peter's 12 

Aquae Salviae 133 

Aquila and Priscilla 298 

Ara Coeli 171, 173, 174 

Arch of Constantine 209 

Arch of Dolabella 80 

Arch of Drusus 233 

Arch of Titus 191 

Architects of St. Peter's 11 

Atrium of Old St. Peter's 7 

Atrium Vestae 185 

Attila, King of the Huns 29 

St. Augustine of Hippo 130, 371 

SS. Augustine and Monica 371 

Augustus, Emperor 214 

>S'. Balhina 225 

Bambino Santo 175 

Baptistery of Constantine 67 

Baptistery of St. Damasus 9 

Barbarians respect St. Peter's and St. Paul's 29, 138 

Baronius, Cardinal 227, 394 

S. Bartolomeo 315 

Basilica . 182, 217 

Basilica of S. Alessandro 279 

Basilica of Constantine 7-14 

Basilica of Eudoxian 118 

Basilica Julia 182 

BasfWea Julian ( S. Maria in Trastevere) 337 

Basilica Lateran ( see Lateran) ^^> ^^ 

Basilica Liberian ( St. Mary Major) 102, 110 

Basilica of SS. Nereus and Achilleus 442 

Basilica of Sesscrian 158 

Basilica Ulpia 55, 398 

Baths of Caracalla 225 

Baths of Diocletian 124 

S. Benedetto in Piscinula 317 

St. Benedict 17, 317 

St. Benedict Joseph Labre 117, 197, 205 



INDEX. 453 

Page 

Benedictio Urbi et Orbi 14 

Benedict VII.'s Tomb 164 

St. Bernard 144 

S. Bernardo 262 

St. Bernardine of Sienna 174, 176 

S. Bernardino 94 

8. Bihiana 145 

Blessing of Horses 168 

Blessing of Lambs 273 

Boeca della verita 1^27, 128 

8. Bonaventura 212 

St. Boniface* of Germany 64 

Borghese Chapel 106 

Bramante, Architect 11 

Bridge, see Ponte 47 

St. Bridget of Sweden • 

26, 91, 96, 109, 115, 137, 147, 169, 249, 383, 386, 433 

8. Brigida 386 

Building of St. Peter's 11 

Burning of the Lateran 58 

Burning of St. Paul's 139 

Ceedwalla, King of West Saxons 27, 67 

St. Cajetan 106, 331, 335, 420 

S. Callisto, Catacombs of 235, 238 

8. Callisto 341 

St. Camillus de Lellis 44, 412, 435 

Campion, Bl. Edmund 411, 414 

Campo dei Fiori 385 

Campo Santo ( S. Lorenzo ) 156 

Cancelleria, Palace of 384 

Capitol (Campidoglio) 171 

Cappuccini, 1 424 

Carbonari, nocturnal meetings 349 

8. Carlo in Corso 410 

Carthusians 122, 124 

Castel S. Angelo 46 

St. Castulus 218 

Catacombs 222, 235, 238 

Catacomb of St. Agnes 276 

Catacomb of St. Calepodius 344 

Catacomb of St. Callixtus 235, 238 

Catacomb of St. Cyriaca 148, 155 

Catacomb of St. Domitilla 440 

Catacomb of St. Felicitas 427 

Catacomb of St. Hippolytus 155 



454 INDEX. 

Page 

Catacomb of St, Nicomedes 270 

Catacomb of Ostrianus 278 

Catacomb of Prsetextatus 246 

Catacomb of St. Priscilla 429 

Catastrophe on Ponte S. Angelo 47 

St. Catherine of Sienna 190, 366, 433 

St. Catherine of Sweden 26, 96, 147, 433 

St. Cecilia 223, 241, 321 

8. Cecilia 321 

St. Celestine 1 115 

SS. Celso e GiuUano 49 

Cemetery of Ostrianus 278 

Cemetery of S. Lorenzo 156 

Cenci in Castel S. Angelo 46 

8. Gesareo 232 

Chains, St. Peter's 118, 119 

Chair, St. Peter's 22, 278 

Chapels in St. Peter's 21 

Chapel, Borghese 106 

Chapel, Domine, quo vadis 234 

Chapel of St. Helena 161 

Chapel, Orto del Paradiso 113 

Chapel of the Parting 132 

Chapel, Sancta Sanctorum 69 

Chapel, Sixtine 36 

Charity to Pilgrims 333, 419 

Charlemagne 29, 348 

St. Charles Borromeo 115, 137, 373, 411 

Chiesa Nuova 395 

SS. Chrysanthus and Daria, Tomb of 431 

Circus Maximus 287 

8. Clemente 70, 72, 73 

Clivus Publicius 288 

Clivus Scauri 83 

Coliseum 199, 202, 204, 206, 208 

College, English 390 

College, German 78, 302, 368, 372, 425 

College, Greek 448 

College, Irish 92 

College, North American 406 

College, Propaganda 422 

College, Roman 356, 359, 367 

College, Scotch 423 

College, Spanish 373 

Colonnades, St. Peter's 13 



INDEX. 456 

Page 

Column of Antoninus 61 

Column of the Immaculate Conception 421 

Column of Trajan 399 

Constantia, Daughter of Constantine 275 

Constantine, Emperor 7, 54, 55, 56, 117, 149, 166 

Convent of St. Cyriacus, Former 403 

St. Cornelius' Tomb 242 

Corso ■ 403 

8. Cosimato 328 

SS. Cosma e Damiano 192 

;Si. Gostanza 27& 

Councils, Lateran 6&; 

Councils at S. Clemente 73^ 

Councils at S. Lorenzo 164 

Councils at S. Martino 117 

Cradle of England's Faith (S. Gregorio) 83, 86, 88- 

Cradle of the Western Church 9r 

S. Crisogono 32§ 

Cross, Memorial of Henry IV 170 

Crucifix, Miraculous 137, 142, 178 

Crucifixion, Pagan Caricature of 218 

Crypts, Vatican ( St. Peter's ) 24 

Crypt of Popes ( S. Callisto) 241 

Crypt of S. Cecilia 241, 326 

Crypt of the Acilii Glabriones 430 

Crypt of SS. Chrysanthus and Daria 431 

St. Cyriaca 79, 148, 154 

St. Cyriacus 403 

SS. Cyril and Methodius 73 

St. Damasus 110, 154, 383 

Daniel O'Connell's Heart 9S 

De Rossi's Discovery 238 

Destroyed Churches 257-260 

Destruction of Old St. Peter's 10 

St. Didacus ( Diego ) 176 

Dimensions of St. Peter's 17 

Dome of St. Peter's 20 

Domenichino 39, 174, 388 

SS. Domenico e Sisto 91 

Domine, quo vadis, Chapel 234 

St. Dominic 26, 65, 66, 229, 230, 291, 433 

Dominicans and the Angel 287 

Domitian, Emperor 191 

St. Domitilla 180, 227, 440 

Door of St. Peter's 15. 



456 INDEX. 

Page 

Doors of Old St. Peter's 8 

S. Dorotea 335 

Earth from Calvary 162 

St, Emerentiana 274 

England's Apostle 85 

England's Conversion 89, 307 

England and Our Lady Ill 

England and St. Paul's 139 

England and the Saints 82, 89, 396, 411 

English College 390 

English Hospice 390 

English Kings ^ 27, 42 

English Saints " 27, 42 

;S'. Euselio 167 

S. Eusebio, House of Retreats 168 

B. Eustachio 367 

St. Eustoehium 388 

Exterior of St. Peter's 14 

Eabiola at the Lateran 57 

Facts, Traditions, Legends 446 

Fasciola, Titulus de 227 

Fate bene Fratelli 316 

St. Felicitas and Her Seven Sons 427 

St. Felix of Cantalice 48, 424, 435 

Fiends of the Revolution 157, 165, 340 

Fire at the Lateran 58 

Fire of St. Paul's 139 

Fire of Rome (Nero's) 287, 418 

First College of the Society of Jesus 171, 367 

First Companions of St. Philip 394 

St. Flavia Domitilla 180, 227, 440 

Flavian Dynasty and Christianity 191, 442 

St. Flavius Clemens 191, 440 

Fons Olei 339 

Forum of Augustus 428 

Forum, the Roman 180 

Forum of Trajan 398 

Fountains at St. Peter's 13 

Fountain of Trevi 407 

Fra Angelico's Tomb 364 

St. Frances of Rome 

44, 49, 70, 73, 126, 127, 132, 137, 172, 174, 190, 318, 320 

S. Francesca, in Foro 190 

S. Francesco a Ripa 327 

fct. Francis of Assisi 60, 65, 67, 169, 292, 327, 433 



INDEX. 457 



St. Francis Borgia 109, 416, 434 

St. Francis de Sales 194 

St. Francis Xavier 306, 369, 383, 419, 448 

Freemasonry 368 

St. Fulgentius in Rome 181 

Funeral of Pope Pius IX 48 

S. Galla 127 

Galla Placidia 136 

Gardens of Sallust 426 

Gate (see Porta) 224 

Gelasius II 115 

General Councils, Lateran 66 

Genseric and the Vandals 30, 215 

si. George (P. di Spagna) 421 

German College 78, 302, 368, 372, 425 

Germanici at S. Saba 302 

Gesu, II 352, 353 

Gesu e Maria 413 

Ghetto, the Former 312 

8. Giacomo in Augusta 412 

8. Giacomo dei Spagnuoli 378 

Giordano Bruno 385 

8. Georgio i/n Velahro 283, 284 

Giotto's Navicella 8, 15 

8. Giovanni dei Fiorentini 393 

88. Giovamm, e Paolo 80, 81, 82 

8. Girolamo delta Caritd 387 

Gladiatorial Shows 204, 206 

Golden Rose 162 

Great Fire of Rome 287, 418 

Greek College 448 

8. Gregorio 83, 86, 88 

Gregorian University 359 

St. Gregory the Great 

64, 83, 84, 85, 88, 108, 136, 137, 154, 176, 180, 204 

St. Gregory II 64 

St. Gregory VII. (Hildebrand) 47, 65, 111, 121, 329 

St. Gregory Nazianzen 51 

Hadrian's Mole ( Castel S. Angelo ) 46 

Heads of SS. Peter and Paul 61, 62, 69 

Sacred Heart, Archconfraternity of 282 

Heart of Daniel O'Connell 93 

Hebrew Children, The Three 180 

St. Helena, Empress 158, 166 

St. Helena, Chapel, Tomb 161, 173 



458 INDEX. 

Page 

St. Henry II. of Germany 109 

Heraclius, Emperor 216 

High Altar, St. Peter's 20 

Hill, Coelian 75 

Hill, Esqiiiline 103 

Hill, Janiculum i 347 

Hill, Quirinal 253-256 

Hill, Vatican 3 

Holy Cross 24, 159, 160 

Eoly Cross of Jerusalem 158 

Holy Father 31, 34 

Holy Lance 24 

Holy Manger ( Santa Culla) 107 

Holy Nails 160 

Holy Pillar 114 

Holy Stairs ( Scala Santa ) 68 

Holy Table 62 

Holy Thorns 163 

Holy Veil (Volto Santo) 24 

Home of St. Alexius 294 

Home of St. Ambrose 309 

Home of Aquila and Priscilla 298 

Home of St. Benedict 317 

Home of St. Cecilia 321 

Home of St. Cyriaca 79 

Home of St. Eusebius 167 

Home of St, Frances of Rome 320, 433 

Home of St. Gregory the Great 84 

Home of St. Gregory VII 329 

Home of SS. John and Paul 81 

Home of St. Mareella 299 

Home of St. Marcellina 309 

Home of St. Melania the Younger 78 

Home of St. Paula 387 

Home of St. Prisca 297 

Home of St. Sabina 289 

Home of St. Sylvia 301 

Honorius III., Pope 150, 272 

Hospital of S. Antonio 169 

Hospital of Consolazione 281 

Hospital of S. Giacomo in Augusta 412 

Hospital of St. John the Calybite 316 

Hospital of S. Michele 327 

Hospital of Santo Spirito 43 

St. Ignatius of Antioch 73, 202. 



INDEX. 459 

Page 

St. Ignatius of Loyola 

...26, 66, 94, 106, 109, 137, 148, 171, 205, 225, 306, 334, 343, 378 

St. Ignatius' Tomb 352 

S. Ignazio 358 

Ina, King of West Saxons 28, 42 

Incident at Irish College 93 

Inhumation and Cremation 157 

Innocent III. and St. Francis 60 

Innocent III.'s Tomb 61 

Inscriptions in Catacombs 245 

Interior of St. Paul's 140 

Interior of St. Peter's 16 

Irish Chiefs, Tombs of 343 

Irish College 92 

Irish Saints in Kome 27 

Irish Dominicans (S. Clemente) 71, 72, 73 

Irish Franciscans ( S. Isidore) 424 

8. Isidoro 424 

Island in the Tiber (Isola) 315 

Italian Parliament 51 

Janiculum, Hill 347 

Janus Quadrifrons 285 

St. Jerome 106, 387 

Jesuati, Order of 83 

Jesuit House of Retreats 168 

Jesuit Novitiate 258 

Jesuit Vineyard on Aventine ( Note ) 300 

Jews in Rome 225, 312 

St. John Baptist de Rossi 127, 128, 130, 137, 281, 333, 436 

St. John Berchmans 50, 125, 197, 358, 435, 448 

St. John the Calybite 316 

St. John Capistran 176 

St. John Lateran 53 

8t. John at the Latin Gate 232 

St. John de Matha 66, 80 

SS. John and Paul 80 

Johnson, Blessed Robert 425 

St. Joseph, Relics of 285 

St. Joseph Calasanctius 336, 381, 435 

Julian the Apostate 210 

Kings, Anglo-Saxon 27 

Kings at St. Peter's 27, 29 

Lateran Basilica 53-66 

Lateran Baptistery 07 

Lateran Piazza 70 



460 INDEX. 

Page 

St. Laurence 79, 95, 122, 148, 228 

Legends 446 

Lenten Stations 437 

St. Leo the Great : i 

St. Leo III 77, 408 

Leo XIII 34 

St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio 128, 205, 212, 340, 379, 436 

Liherian Basilica (St. Mary Major) 102-110 

Limina Apostolorum 18 

Loggie of Raphael 39 

S. Lorenzo, Basilica 147-154 

S. Lorenzo in Damaso 383 

8. Lorenzo in Lucina 409 

8. Lorenzo in Miranda 194 

8. Lorenzo in Panisperna 95 

8. Lucia in Gonf alone 393 

8. Luiffi de' Francesi 369 

Luther, Martin 416 

Lutherans in Rome . 416 

Macchabees, Bodies of 120 

Madonna della Strada 354 

Mamertine Prison 177 

St. Mareella 138, 299 

St. Marcellina 309 

8. Marcello 404 

8. Marco 401 

SS. Marcus and Marcellianus 1 27 

8. Maria degli Angeli 122 

8. Maria delV Anima 379 

8. Maria Antiqua 184 

8. Maria di Ara Coeli 173, 174 

8. Maria Aventina 296 

8. Maria in Campitelli 307 

8. Maria in Gappella 321 

8. Maria in Cosmedin 128 

8. Maria in Domnica 79 

8. Maria in Macello Martyrum 184, 194 

8. Maria Maggiore 102, 1 10 

8. Maria ad Martyres {Pantheon) 287 

8. Maria sopra Minerva '363 

8. Maria in Monserrato 392 

8. Maria in Monte 8anto 413 

8. Maria in NaA)icella {Domnica) 79 

8. Maria Nuova 189 

8. Maria della Pace 380 



INDEX, 461 

Page 

8. Maria del Popolo 415 

S. Maria in Portico 128, 308 

8. Maria della Scala 336 

8. Maria di Scala Cceli 143 

8. Maria del 8ole 131 

8. Maria della 8trada 354 

8. Maria Traspontina, 44 

;8f. Maria in Trastevere 337, 339 

8. Maria in Vallicella 395 

8. Maria in Via 408 

8. Maria in Via Lata 403 

8. Maria della Vittoria 263 

8. Maria Mgyptiaea 131 

Maria Anna Taigi, Venerable 264, 329, 407 

8. Marta {Martha) 356 

St. Martin 1 64, 110, 117 

8. Martina in Foro 178 

8. Martino ai Monti 116, 117 

Martin Luther 416 

Martyrs, Their Sufferings 77, 194 

Martyrs in the Coliseum 199, 202 

Martyrs Under Nero 4 

Martyrs of Rome 182, 194, 208 

Martyrdom of SS. Peter and Paul 4, 143 

Martyrdom of St. Agnes 375 

Martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch 202 

Martyrdom of St. Laurence 95 

Martyrdom of St. Sixtus II 246 

Massacre of Priests in 1849 341 

8t. Mary Major (Basilica) 102-110 

Mazzinians and Garibaldians 346 

Memoria over St. Paul's Tomb 133 

Memoria over St. Peter's Tomb 6 

Meta Sudans 209 

S. Michael inter nubes 46 

Michael Angelo 36, 120, 124 

Minerva, 8. Maria sopra 363 

Miracles of St. Dominic 230 

Miracles of St. Philip 382 

Miraculous Crucifix 137, 142, 178 

St. Monica 371 

Monks of Old 302 

Monte Citorio 51 

Mosaics in St. Peter's 21 

Mosaics, Famous 21, 98, 105, 113, 121 



462 INDEX. 

Page 

Moses, Statue of 120 

Mural Painting in the Catacombs 243 

Murder of Count Rossi 384 

Napoleon 1 253 

Navieella of Giotto 8, 15 

-8S. Nereo ed Achilleo 227 

SS. Nereus and Achilleus 180, 227, 442 

Nero and St. Paul 217 

Nero Sets Fire to Rome 287, 418 

Nero's Persecution 4 

Nero's Death 279 

Nero's Tomb 414 

Nero's Circus on Vatican 4 

8. Nicola in Carcere 127 

8. Nicola da Tolentino 426 

Nocturnal Meetings of Carbonari 349 

Nomentan Bridge 279 

North American College 406 

Obelisk at St. Peter's 1, 13 

Old St. Paul's 134, 135, 136 

Old St. Peter's 7, 10 

Old Pretender, The 25, 308-401 

Oliver Plunket, Venerable 44, 93, 390-422 

8. Onofrio 350 

Orto del Paradiso, Chapel 113 

Ospedale della Consolazione 281 

Ospedale del S. Spirito 43 

Ostian Gate 132 

Ostian Way 131 

Ostrianus, Cemetery of 278 

Our Lady and England Ill 

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour 115 

Our Lady and Rome 195 

Our Lady of the Snow 102 

Our Lady of the Wayside ( Strada) 354 

Paganism, Old and New 219 

Pagan Edifices in Forum, etc 187 

Pagan World 215 

Palaces of Emperors 214 

Palatine 211-218 

Palazzo Altemps 373 

Palazzo Borromeo 359 

Palazzo Cancelleria 384 

Palazzo Giustiniani 368 

Palazzo Massimo 382 



INDEX. 463 

Page 

Palazzo Ponziano 318 

Palazzo di Venezia 401 

St. Pammachius 82 

St. Pancratius 63, 344 

S. Pancra^o 344, 347 

S. Pantaleo 381 

Pantheon 287 

8. Paolino alia Regola 329 

Papal Alms 42 

Papacy and Secular Governments 41 

Passion, Relics of the 114, 160 

St. Patrick 27, 115 

Patrimony of St. Peter 347 

St. Paul 131, 133, 141, 178, 217, 225, 403, 443 

m. Paul's Basilica 134, 140 

St. Paul's Prison 403 

St. Paul's School 329 

St. Paul and Seneca 329 

St. Paul of the Cross 81, 90 

St. Paula 299, 387 

Persecution of the Church 320 

Pescaria, the Old Fish Market 310 

St. Peter 1, 4, 101, 188, 216, 278, 298, 443 

St. Peter's Basilica 7-25 

St. Peter's Altar (portable) 61, 63 

St. Peter's Chains 118, 119 

St. Peter's Chair 22, 278 

St. Peter's Pillar of Flagellation 44 

St. Peter's Statue 17 

St. Peter's Tomb 18, 26, 27, 29 

St. Petronilla Aurelia 442 

St. Philip Neri 26, 44, 47, 79, 110, 125 

137, 151, 176, 205, 249, 333, 350, 371, 381, 382, 389, 394, 395, 396 

St. Philomena : 430 

Piazza Barberini 423 

Piazza Colonna 407 

Piazza Farnese 386 

Piazza Gulielmo Pepe 145 

Piazza Magnanapoli 91 

Piazza Montanara 126 

Piazza Navona 378 

Piazza del Popolo 413 

Piazza del Quirinale 253 

Piazza di Spagna 421 

Piazza di Venezia 401 



464 INDEX. 

Page 

8. Pietro in Montorio 342 

;8'. Pietro in Vincoli 118 

Pillar, The Holy 114 

Pillar of St. Peter's Flagellation 44 

Pineio, Hill 417, 419, 420 

St. Pius V 106, 291 

Pius VII 254 

Pius IX 48, 68, 105, 121, 140, 152, 255, 266 

Platonia at St. Sebastian 247 

Plebiscite of 1870 268 

St. Polycaf p's Shrine 310 

Pompey's Theatre 333 

Ponte S. Angelo 47, 48, 158 

Ponte Cestio 314 

Ponte Fabricio 315 

Ponte Quattro Capi ( Fabricio ) 315 

Ponte Rotto 318 

Ponte Sisto 334 

Ponziano Palace 318 

Popes, their sufferings 32 

Popes, their glorious deeds 32 

Popes at the Roman College 357 

Porta Capena 224 

Porta Flaminia ( del Popolo) 414 

Porta di S. Lorenzo (Tiburtina) 147 

Porta Maggiore 157 

Porta Ostia 131 

Porta di S. Pancrazio ( Aurelia) 344 

Porta Pia 265 

Porta del Popolo 413 

Porta Salaria 427 

Porta di S. Sebastiano (Appia) 233 

Portico of Octavia 311 

Portico of St. Peter's 15 

S. Prassede 113 

St. Praxedes 100 

.Sf. Prisca 297 

St. Priscilla 99 

St. Priscilla, Catacombs of 429 

Prison of St. Paul 403 

Prisoner of the Vatican , 31 

Procession in Plague of 580 46, 108 

Propaganda College 422 

Protestant Propagandism 261 

Protests of Popes 266 



INDEX. 465 

Page 

Pudens, Family of 99 

S. Pudenziana 97, 99 

Quattro Coronati 74 

Quirinal Palace 255 

Quirinal Piazza 253 

St. Quirimis 225 

Eaphael's Frescoes 38, 39 

Raphael's Death 45 

Raphael's Tomb 362 

Relics, Authenticity of ' 446 

Relics at St. Peter's 23 

Relics at Lateran 62 

Relics at St. Mary Major 107 

Relics of the Passion 114, 160 

Relics of Our Lady 285 

Relics of Holy Infancy 107, 286 

Reverence for St. Peter's Tomb 27, 29 

Reverence for Rome's Holy Places 331 

Revolution of 1848 158, 165 

Revolution, Fiends of 157, 165, 341 

Ricci, Very Reverend Laurence, S. J 47 

Blessed Rodolf Aquaviva 281 

Roma, O Felix 448 

Roman College 356, 359 

Rome, Occupation of 265 

Rooms of Saints 432-436 

Room of St. Aloysius 434 

Room of St. Benedict Joseph Labre , 436 

Room of St. Bernardine of Sienna 434 

Room of St. Bridget of Sweden 433 

Room of St. Camillus de Lellis 435 

Room of St. Catherine of Sienna. 366, 433 

Room of St. Catherine of Sweden 433 

Room of St. Charles Borromeo 373, 435 

Room of St. Dominic 433 

Room of St. Felix of Cantalice 435 

Room of St. Francis of Assisi 327, 433 

Room of St. Francis Borgia 434 

Room of St. Frances of Rome 433 

Room of St. Gregory the Great 83 

Room of St. Ignatius of Loyola 434 

Room of St. John Berchmans 435 

Room of St. John Capistran 434 

Room of St. John Baptist de Rossi 436 

Room of St. John de Matha 433 

Room of St. Joseph Calasanctius 435 



466 INDEX. 

Page 

Hoom of St. Leonard of Porto Maurizio 436 

Room of St. Paul of the Cross 436 

Room of St. Philip Neri 435 

Room of St. Pius V 434 

Room of St. Stanislaus Kostka 258, 434 

Room of Venerable Pallotti, Vincenzo 436 

Room of Venerable Pignatelli, Joseph 436 

iSf. Sahl9a 300 

8. SaUna 289-294 

Saints at S. Clemente 73 

Saints at S. Lorenzo 154 

Saints at St. Mary Major 108 

Saints at St. Paul's 137 

Saints at St. Peter's 26, 27 

Saints at St. Sebastian 249 

Saints at the Lateran 64 

Saints at the Roman College 356 

Saints, their Homes, Rooms 432-436 

Sallust's Gardens 426 

8. Salvatore in Lauro 49 

Sancta Sanctorum, Chapel 69 

Santa Croce in Gerusalemme 158-165 

Scala Coeli (Tre Fontane) 143 

Scala Santa 68 

School of St. Paul 329 

Scilitani, Martyres 83 

Scotch College and Hospice 422, 423 

Scotch Saints in Rome 27 

St. Sebastian 121, 211, 247, 331 

8. Sehastiano ( Church and Catacomb ) 247 

Seneca and St. Paul 329 

Sepolte vive 199 

St. Servulus 73 

Seven Churches 438 

Shrines of Saints in St. Peter's 23 

Sibyls, Raphael's 380 

8. Silvestro in Capite 408 

8. Silvestro in Monte Gavallo 91 

Simon Magus 188 

8. 8isto 228-232 

Sixtine Chapel (Vatican) 36 

Sixtine Chapel ( St. Mary Major) 106 

St. Sixtus II 228, 246 

St. Sixtus III 103, 163 

St. Stanislaus Kostka 107, 110, 258 

Stanze of Raphael 38 



INDEX. 467 

Page 

State of Rome since 1870 267 

Stations, Lenten 437 

^. Stefano Rotondo 75 

St. Stephen of Hungary 77 

St. Stephen, Pope 249 

St. Stephen, Protomartyr 150 

Stuart Princes 25 

Subterranean Basilica 277 

S. Susanna 262 

St. Sylvester 1 56, 117, 159 

Sylvester II 63, li4 

St. Sylvia 300, 301 

St. Syramachus 163, 169 

St. Symphorosa and Seven Sons 311 

Table, The Holy ). . 62 

St. Tarcisius, Acolyte 251 

Tasso's Oak 350 

Tasso's Tomb 351 

St. Telemachus 204 

Temple of Mars (Via Appia) 233 

Temple of Mars ( Forum of Augustus ) 428 

S. Teodoro 282 

Theodosian Basilica ( St. Paul's) 135, 136 

St. Thomas of Aquin 26, 293 

St. Thomas of Canterbury .390 

Thundering Legion 51 

Tiber, Eiver 313 

Title on the Cross 159, 160 

Titulus Equitii 116 

Titulus Fasciolse 227 

Titulus Pammachii 81 

Titulus Pastoris 98 

Titulus Pudentis 98 

Titulus Tigridse 228 

Titus, Emperor 191 

Toledo, Cardinal Francis 110 

Tomb of Fra Angelico 364 

Tomb of Pius IX 152 

Tomb of Raphael 362 

Tomb of St. Agnes 274 

Tomb of St. Aloysius 359 

Tomb of St. Ignatius 352 

Tomb of St. John Berchraans 359 

Tomb of St. Laurence 152 

Tomb of St. Paul 141 

Tomb of St. Peter 18, 26, 27, 28, 29 



468 INDEX. 

Page 

Tomb of St. Philip Neri 395 

Tomb of St. Stanislaus 258 

S. Tommaso in Formis 80 

S. Tommaso in Parione 380 

Torre del Melangolo 306 

Torre della Scimia 50 

Tor de' Specchi 126 

Totila 216 

Traditions 446 

Trajan, Emperor 39S 

Trappists at Tre Fontane 144 

Trastevere 317 

Trastevere Nuns 231 

Treasury (Le Finanze) 264 

Tre Fontane 133, 143 

Trevi, Fountain of 407 

Trinitd del Monti 418 

Trinity dei Pellegrini 333 

Trinitarians 80, 179, 329 

St. Valerian 223, 322 

Vatican Basilica ( St. Peter's) 7-24 

Vatican Crypts 24 

Vatican Gardens 41 

Vatican Hill 3 

Vatican Library .40 

Vatican Palace 35 

Veil of St. Veronica 24 

Vespasian, Emperor 191 

Vestal Virgins 186, 265 

Via Appia 224, 250 

Via Nomentana 271 

Via Ostiensis 131 

Via Sacra 187 

Via Salaria Nuova 427 

Victor Emmanuel 255 

Villa Ludovisi 426 

Villa Macao 269 

Villa Mattei 79 

Villa Patrizi 270 

BS. Yincenzo ed Anastasio (Tre Fontane) 148 

Vision of St. Agnes 274 

St. Vitus 203 

Volto Santo (Veil of St. Veronica) 24 

Wiseman, Cardinal 391, 413, 414 

With the Saints in Rome 443 

Youthful Prodigy, Tomb of 427 

SS. Zeno and Companions 114, 124, 143 



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